Search Results (2,921)

We report an optical method to estimate local microviscosity in thermotropic liquid crystals using viscosity-responsive aggregation-induced emission luminogens. Pendant-type luminogens were designed by covalently attaching 4-cyano-4′-n-octyloxybiphenyl mesogens (n = 8, 10) to a bis(N,N-dialkylamino)anthracene emissive core. When introduced at 1.0 wt% into 8OCB and 10OCB, thermal and optical analyses showed that the intrinsic liquid crystal properties were essentially unchanged, indicating good structural compatibility. Temperature-dependent fluorescence and polarization measurements revealed that emission changes are governed mainly by microviscosity rather than macroscopic phase disruption. Effective microviscosity was evaluated from absolute fluorescence quantum yields using the Förster–Hoffmann relation. On this basis, the microviscosity in the nematic phase is 21 mPa·s for 8OCB upon cooling, which correlates with the enhancement in fluorescence. In the smectic phase, although the director distribution parameter remains nearly constant, the effective microviscosity is ca. 21 mPa·s for 10OCB and ca. 54 mPa·s for 8OCB, and the fluorescence varies smoothly with temperature, reflecting changes in local segmental mobility within the layered structure. These values are broadly consistent with reported viscosity ranges/trends for cyanobiphenyl-type liquid crystals. Full article

We present a protocol for integer factorization for all integers N below a certain cut-off $\Lambda =2^d$, grounded in the theory of quantum measurement. In this framework, the factorization of an integer $N\le \Lambda$ is achieved in a number of steps equal to the total number I of primes present in its factorization; explicitly, the procedure consists of a sequence of I quantum measurements. The method requires a single-purpose quantum device designed to perform measurements of an observable with a prescribed spectrum. Crucially, the construction of this device involves solving, once and for all, a set of approximately $2^d$ differential equations, independently of the specific integer to be factorized. We argue that the initialization task of this device can be efficiently implemented on a quantum computer in d steps, thereby decoupling the computational cost of device preparation from the factorization process itself. Full article

We propose a novel scheme that is used for the enhancement of phase sensitivity. The SU(1,1) interferometer with a two-mode squeezed coherent state input, using balanced homodyne detection (BHD) and intensity detection (ID), is shown. Our results demonstrate that the phase sensitivity achieved via BHD outperforms that of ID. The optimal phase sensitivity via BHD surpasses the Heisenberg limit (HL) and approaches the quantum Cramér–Rao bound. A larger photon number and parameter strength can make the phase sensitivity better. Furthermore, we show the effects of internal and external losses on phase sensitivity in detail. When external loss reaches 10%, the phase sensitivity can reach the HL. Next, we have a detailed discussion on the impact of the squeezing parameter and photon number on phase sensitivity, which shows that our scheme has better phase sensitivity and enhanced robustness. This interferometer system thus holds significant potential for applications in quantum precision measurement. Full article

Reliable video transmission over error-prone channels remains a significant challenge due to the inherent trade-off between compression efficiency and noise resilience in conventional systems. To address these issues, this paper introduces a novel quantum Fourier transform (QFT)-based framework that integrates video compression and transmission within a unified quantum frequency-domain representation. The framework converts video data into a classical bitstream and maps it onto multi-qubit quantum states with variable encoding sizes (n), enabling flexible control over compression levels. Through the application of the QFT, these states are transformed into the frequency domain, where only selected coefficients are transmitted to reduce bandwidth requirements. At the receiver, the transmitted components are used to reconstruct the full representation, followed by inverse transformation and decoding to recover the video sequence. The performance of the proposed framework is evaluated using peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index measure (SSIM), and video multi-method assessment fusion (VMAF). The results demonstrate that increasing the number of qubits enables exponential compression, achieving ratios up to $2^n:1$, while maintaining high reconstruction quality under ideal transmission conditions. However, higher-qubit configurations exhibit increased sensitivity to channel noise, leading to a more rapid degradation as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases. In contrast, lower-qubit configurations provide improved robustness, maintaining more stable reconstruction quality under noisy conditions, albeit with reduced compression efficiency. Among the evaluated configurations, the two-qubit system achieves an effective trade-off, providing a compression ratio of $4:1$ while maintaining strong visual and structural fidelity along with enhanced resilience to channel impairments. Full article

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, particularly MXenes and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have attracted intense interest as supercapacitor electrodes due to their high surface area and tunable electronic structure. However, large discrepancies persist between the quantum capacitance values predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimentally measured gravimetric capacitances. In this review, we critically analyze DFT methodologies, surface models, normalization strategies, and electrochemical characterization protocols, and compile an extensive dataset of reported MXene and TMD systems to quantify the degree of experimental–theoretical agreement. We show that MXenes typically achieve less than 20% of their predicted capacitance because of restacking, surface terminations, and limited ion accessibility, whereas TMDs exhibit substantially better correspondence, often approaching or exceeding 70% of theoretical values. These results indicate that the theoretical capacitance predicted by DFT is primarily determined by the electronic structure of the material, which defines the upper limit of charge storage, whereas the experimentally achieved capacitance is largely controlled by morphological factors, surface chemistry, and electrode architecture that limit ion accessibility. Full article

In fundamental physics, sensors operating below liquid helium temperatures are highly vulnerable to vibrations, which can affect the sensitivity, for example, of high-performance particle detectors. Pulse-tube refrigerators, while generating vibrations lower than those of conventional systems, may still introduce several disturbances. Hence, flexible thermal connections are a commonly used mechanical solution to mitigate these undesirable effects. Among the materials that can be used, ultra-high-purity aluminum (UHP-Al) has attracted the attention for low-amplitude-vibration cryogenic applications, including gravitational wave interferometry, quantum information systems, precision space instrumentation, and cryogenic resonators. Thus, the aim of the paper is the characterization of the mechanical and microstructure properties of three UHP-Als (i.e., 5N—99.999 wt%, 5N5—99.9995 wt% and 6N—99.9999 wt%) intended for the production of thermal flexible connections with low stiffness, specifically designed to reduce vibration transmission in cryogenic environments. Mechanical properties were evaluated through standard tensile tests from room (+25 °C) to low temperature (i.e., −150 °C), providing insights into yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation and elastic modulus. In addition, the dynamic elastic modulus of material loads, at cryogenic conditions (i.e., about −180 °C), was determined by measuring the natural resonance frequency, thereby assessing the material’s response to vibrational. Moreover, an extensive microstructural analysis was conducted using electron backscatter diffraction and x-ray diffraction. The correlation between the observed microstructure and the elastic properties was systematically examined. The results underscore the pivotal role of microstructural characteristics in dictating the elastic behavior of UHP Als. Eventually, the analysis provides valuable guidelines for the materials employment inside cryogenic systems, where severe vibration control is critical to maintain high operational performance. Full article

The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of InGaN-based LEDs typically decreases as wavelength shifts from blue to green to red. While this trend has often been attributed to the internal quantum efficiency of InGaN quantum wells (QWs), the influence of light extraction efficiency (LEE) on the wavelength-dependent EQE has received less attention. In this study, we numerically investigated the LEE of blue, green, and red InGaN micro-LED structures using finite-difference time-domain simulations, including the dispersion of composite materials. We first optimized the distance between the QW and the Ag reflector for each color, then evaluated the total LEE and the LEE within a 20° collection angle as the micro-LED structure diameter varied. For diameters ranging from 2 to 6 μm, green and red micro-LEDs exhibited average LEE values that were over 10% and 20% higher than those of blue micro-LEDs, respectively. This is attributed to the decreasing refractive index of GaN and increasing reflectance of the Ag reflector as the wavelength increases. Such substantial variations in LEE among blue, green, and red InGaN micro-LEDs highlight the importance of considering wavelength-dependent LEE when interpreting measured EQE results. Full article

The possibility of realizing Higgs inflation in a model with a small non-minimal coupling constant, which was demonstrated recently, provides grounds for further development of the model. Incorporating the electroweak SM into the Two-Measure theory (TMT) in a way that fully accounts for the TMT structure leads to a theory we call the Two-Measure Standard Model (TMSM). The TMSM is realized in the context of cosmology as a set of cosmologically modified copies of the Glashow–Weinberg–Salam (GWS) theory, such that each of the copies exists as a local quantum field theory defined on the classical cosmological background at the appropriate stage of its evolution. This basic idea is studied in detail for two stages of the cosmological background evolution: for slow-roll inflation and for the stage of approaching the vacuum. Mainly due to the presence of the ratio of two volume measures in all equations of motion, all TMSM coupling constants turn into a kind of “running” (classical) TMT-effective parameters. During the evolution of the cosmological background, changing these parameters yields new results: (1) the classical “running” TMT-effective Higgs self-coupling parameter increases from $\lambda \sim {10}^{-11}$ (which provides Higgs inflation consistent with the Planck CMB data at $\xi ={\displaystyle \frac{1}{6}}$) to $\lambda \sim 0.1$ at the stage close to the vacuum; (2) the mass term in the TMT-effective Higgs potential changes sign from positive to negative, which provides SSB in the standard way of GWS theory; (3) the classical “running” parameters of the gauge and Yukawa couplings change by several orders of magnitude; (4) the GWS theory is reproduced when the Yukawa constant in the original action is chosen to be universal for three generations of fermions. We show that, due to these classical-level results, taking into account quantum corrections in the one-loop approximation preserves the slow-roll inflation regime and does not violate the vacuum stability during inflation. Full article

Nanoscale electrical contacts, especially those between materials of dissimilar electronic properties, often represent one of the main causes of drops in energy transfer efficiency. They are also among the sources of above-threshold noise, and their performance often decreases over the lifetime of the nanodevices. Scale-down limitations from mesoscopic to nanoscale devices, and likewise, of nanoscale to quantum-scale devices are also impeded by contacts’ quality. Making more reliable, energy-efficient electrical contacts is among the goals of the nanoelectronics research within the framework of energy-efficient electronic systems. This report focuses on the design, nanofabrication, and testing of novel shapes of electrical contacts. Lithography and nanofabrication were utilized to mimic the approximate shape of insect setae for mesoscale contacts design. The contacts are tested for elementary charge transport via I–V curves and for the broadband, 1/f noise. Tests show that contacts design leads to a measurable decrease in the energy necessary to operate a contact as a switch by at least 12–20%, depending on temperature, while broadband noise shows measurably lower power spectra, for bio-inspired contacts. The proposed method is open to modifications and improvements as required by various on-chip applications. Full article

Designing noise-robust parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) is a central challenge in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) regime. Existing quantum architecture search methods rely on training large SuperCircuits and evaluating SubCircuits under noisy execution, resulting in high computational cost and architecture assessments that depend on task-specific optimization and device noise. In this work, we propose a training-free quantum architecture search framework based on information-theoretic expressibility measures rather than performance-based estimators. We empirically show that noise-free KL-divergence-based expressibility exhibits a consistent monotonic association with noisy task loss across diverse circuit architectures and realistic hardware noise models. Leveraging this relationship, we introduce an expressibility-guided evolutionary search that requires neither SuperCircuit training nor noisy execution during the search phase. Since expressibility is evaluated independently of hardware noise, the method is inherently device-agnostic, enabling architectures to be reused across multiple quantum devices without re-running the search. Experiments using IBM-derived Qiskit noise models demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves competitive performance compared to SuperCircuit-based baselines, while substantially reducing computational cost. These results establish expressibility as an effective information-theoretic surrogate for ranking PQC architectures under realistic noise. Full article

We study information-theoretic and complexity measures for the Dunkl-supersymmetric harmonic oscillator to identify the effect of supersymmetry on these quantities. Using the Rakhmanov probability density of the Dunkl-SUSY functions, we analyze the Shannon entropy, spreading measures (Heller, Rényi, and Fisher lengths), and several statistical and dynamical complexities. The Shannon entropy is obtained both asymptotically and in closed analytic form, showing that supersymmetry does not affect the leading large-n scaling. In contrast, spreading measures reveal enhanced localization of the SUSY eigenstates relative to the standard harmonic oscillator. Finally, we find that LMC and Fisher–Shannon complexities are higher in the supersymmetric case. Full article

Coloured and variegated leaves are common in shade-tolerant ornamentals. However, it remains unclear whether their photosynthetic performance is determined mainly by pigment abundance or by the organisation of chloroplasts and thylakoids. We tested this in three Epipremnum aureum phenotypes (‘Neon’, ‘Golden’ and ‘Jade’) that share a genetic background but contrast in leaf colour, chloroplast density and thylakoid membrane abundance. Plants were grown in a greenhouse and assessed by hyperspectral and thermal imaging, infrared gas exchange analysis, chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements, and structural, ultrastructural and biochemical analyses. Traits were integrated by principal component analysis, with the quantum yield of CO₂ assimilation per absorbed photon (αCO_2,abs) as the response variable. ‘Neon’ leaves had high specific leaf area and approximately 55% lower maximum Rubisco carboxylation (Vc_MAX) and electron transport capacity (J_MAX) than ‘Jade’, as well as reduced chloroplast and thylakoid abundance and warmer canopies, despite carotenoid enrichment. JIP-test parameters and fluorescence light–response curves showed high absorption and dissipation per PSII reaction centre, elevated excitation pressure, modest non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), low αCO_2,abs, small carbohydrate pools and low intrinsic water-use efficiency. ‘Jade’ leaves developed thick mesophyll with dense chloroplast populations, extensive thylakoid networks, highest NPQ, cool canopies and large carbohydrate reserves, whereas ‘Golden’ leaves combined thin laminae and intermediate chloroplast–thylakoid organisation with early light saturation of CO₂ assimilation and the highest intrinsic water-use efficiency. Principal component analysis revealed a structural axis of chloroplast and thylakoid organisation that better predicted αCO_2,abs, net carbon gain and canopy temperature than pigment abundance. In variegated E. aureum, ‘photon economy’ is therefore governed primarily by chloroplast and thylakoid membrane organisation and abundance rather than by carotenoid accumulation. Full article

Light availability drives Stevia rebaudiana productivity, yet how incident radiation interacts with genotype and site under tropical field conditions remains unclear. We evaluated four genotypes (L020, L102, L082, and ‘Morita II’) across three Caribbean locations in Colombia under two contrasting light levels (600 vs. 1800 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) using a split-plot randomised complete block design with four replicates. Incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was logged and, at 85 days after transplanting (DAT), net CO₂ assimilation, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and intercellular CO₂ concentration were measured alongside light-adapted chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, including the effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII), the maximum efficiency of PSII in the light (Fv′/Fm′), photochemical quenching (qP), and electron transport rate (ETR); biomass and leaf yield were quantified at harvest. Data were analysed using factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) and complementary multivariate approaches, including Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). Radiation responses were strongly site-dependent: under 1800 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹, net CO₂ assimilation increased by 90.2% at El Carmen de Bolívar and 21.5% at Polonuevo but decreased by 36.4% at Montería. Leaf yield was highest in El Carmen de Bolívar (1951.46 ± 182.03 kg ha⁻¹), followed by Montería (1510.94 ± 173.75 kg ha⁻¹) and Polonuevo (576.31 ± 42.36 kg ha⁻¹). Genotype rankings shifted with environment and radiation, with L102 reaching 3256.25 ± 126.39 kg ha⁻¹ under direct radiation in El Carmen de Bolívar and ‘Morita II’ showing strong responsiveness in Montería. These results demonstrate that photosynthetic plasticity and leaf yield in S. rebaudiana depend on genotype × radiation × environment interactions, supporting location-tailored radiation management combined with targeted genotype deployment. Full article

Understanding wave-packet deformation and spreading is central to the description of transport and localization phenomena in both classical and quantum systems. In this work, we introduce information-theoretic and complexity-based indicators. We analyze the evolution of the probability distribution using Shannon and linear entropies, together with the inverse participation ratio, to quantify localization–delocalization processes and their associated fluctuations. These measures naturally motivate the use of statistical complexity definitions, including the López–Mancini–Calbet ($C_{LMC}$) and Shiner–Davison–Landsberg ($C_{SDL}$) complexities. In addition, we compute the probability current for both single-particle and two-particle configurations, providing a dynamical description of transport in terms of particle motion. The influence of an external field on entropy production, complexity, and probability currents is also examined, highlighting the interplay between information spreading, localization, and transport in lattice systems. Full article

Raphidiopsis raciborskii (formerly Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii) is a bloom-forming cyanobacterium that employs the production of toxins and other secondary metabolites as a competitive and allelopathic strategy. This study evaluated the effects of exudates from R. raciborskii cultivated under three nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N:P) ratios on the photosynthetic performance of Limnothrix sp. (cyanobacterium), Chlorella sp. (green algae), and Raphidocelis subcapitata (green algae), using pulse-amplitude-modulated (PAM) fluorometry. Rapid light curves (rETR) obtained under different N:P ratios and across the three target species exhibited similar response patterns. Likewise, effective quantum yield (ΦPSII), regulated (Y(NPQ)) and non-regulated (Y(NO)) energy dissipation showed comparable profiles among treatments after 24 h of exposure. Overall, the results of the present study indicate that, within the 24 h exposure period and based on the fluorescence parameters measured, exudates produced by R. raciborskii under the tested nutrient conditions did not cause measurable alterations in the photosynthetic performance of the three evaluated species. Full article