Microwave electrometry with Rydberg atoms in a vapor cell using microwave amplitude modulation

We have theoretically and experimentally studied the dispersive signal of the Rydberg atomic electromagneticallyinduced transparency(EIT)Autler–Townes(AT)splitting spectra obtained using amplitude modulation of the microwave(MW)electric field.In addition to the two zero-crossing points interval△f_(zeros),the dispersion signal has two positive maxima with an interval defined as the shoulder interval△f_(sho),which is theoretically expected to be used to measure a much weaker MW electric field.The relationship of the MW field strength E_(MW)and△f_(sho)is experimentally studied at the MW frequencies of 31.6 GHz and 9.2 GHz respectively.The results show that△f_(sho)can be used to characterize the much weaker E_(MW)than that of△f_(zeros)and the traditional EIT–AT splitting interval△f_(m);the minimum E_(MW)measured by△f_(sho)is about 30 times smaller than that by△f_(m).As an example,the minimum E_(MW)at 9.2 GHz that can be characterized by△f_(sho)is 0.056 mV/cm,which is the minimum value characterized by the frequency interval using a vapor cell without adding any auxiliary fields.The proposed method can improve the weak limit and sensitivity of E_(MW)measured by the spectral frequency interval,which is important in the direct measurement of weak E_(MW).

Graphene quantum dot modified glassy carbon electrode for the determination of doxorubicin hydrochloride in human plasma

Low toxic graphene quantum dot（GQD） was synthesized by pyrolyzing citric acid in alkaline solution and characterized by ultraviolet-visible（UV-vis） spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,atomic force microscopy（AFM）,spectrofluorimetery and dynamic light scattering（DLS） techniques.GQD was used for electrode modification and electro-oxidation of doxorubicin（DOX） at low potential.A substantial decrease in the overvoltage（- 0.56 V） of the DOX oxidation reaction（compared to ordinary electrodes） was observed using GQD as coating of glassy carbon electrode（GCE）.Differential pulse voltammetry was used to evaluate the analytical performance of DOX in the presence of phosphate buffer solution（pH 4.0） and good limit of detection was obtained by the proposed sensor.Such ability of GQD to promote the DOX electron-transfer reaction suggests great promise for its application as an electrochemical sensor.

Analysis of proton and γ-ray radiation effects on CMOS active pixel sensors

Radiation effects on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor（CMOS） active pixel sensors（APS） induced by proton and γ-ray are presented. The samples are manufactured with the standards of 0.35 μm CMOS technology. Two samples have been irradiated un-biased by 23 MeV protons with fluences of 1.43 × 10^11 protons/cm^2 and 2.14 × 10^11 protons/cm-2,respectively, while another sample has been exposed un-biased to 65 krad（Si） ^60Co γ-ray. The influences of radiation on the dark current, fixed-pattern noise under illumination, quantum efficiency, and conversion gain of the samples are investigated. The dark current, which increases drastically, is obtained by the theory based on thermal generation and the trap induced upon the irradiation. Both γ-ray and proton irradiation increase the non-uniformity of the signal, but the nonuniformity induced by protons is even worse. The degradation mechanisms of CMOS APS image sensors are analyzed,especially for the interaction induced by proton displacement damage and total ion dose（TID） damage.

The Influence of Quantum Technology on the Development of Metrology and Measuring Science

In the new century, quantum technology has developed rapidly and has been applied in many fields. As an important aspect of the aerospace science, metrology and measuring science is a field which is influenced by the quantum technology dramatically. The new generation of the International System of Units will be redefined on the basis of the quantum theory. More and more new sensing techniques are developed taking into account quantum principles. In this paper, the influence of quantum technology on metrology and measuring science is introduced.

An all-optical phase detector by amplitude modulation of the local field in a Rydberg atom-based mixer

Recently,a Rydberg atom-based mixer was developed to measure the phase of a radio frequency(RF)field.The phase of the signal RF(SIG RF)field is down-converted directly to the phase of a beat signal created by the presence of a local RF(LO RF)field.In this study,we propose that the Rydberg atom-based mixer can be converted to an all-optical phase detector by amplitude modulation(AM)of the LO RF field;that is,the phase of the SIG RF field is related to both the amplitude and phase of the beat signal.When the AM frequency of the LO RF field is the same as the frequency of the beat signal,the beat signal will further interfere with the AM of the LO RF field inside the atom,and then the amplitude of the beat signal is related to the phase of the SIG RF field.The amplitude of the beat signal and the phase of the SIG RF field show a linear relationship within the range of 0 toπ/2 when the phase of the AM is set with a differenceπ/4 from the phase of the LO RF field.The minimum phase resolution can be as small as 0.6°by optimizing the experimental conditions according to a simple theoretical model.This study will expand and contribute to the development of RF measurement devices based on Rydberg atoms.

Evaluation and Enhanced Use of Light Emitting Diodes for Hydroponics

Hydroponic farming is a viable and economical farming method,which can produce safe and healthy greens and vegetables conveniently and at a relatively low cost.It is essential to provide supplemental lighting for crops grown in greenhouses to meet the daily light requirement,Daily Light Integral(DLI).The present paper investigates how effectively and efficiently LEDs can be used as a light source in hydroponics.It is important for a hydroponic grower to assess the requirement of photo synthetically active radiation(PAR)or the Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density(PPFD),in a greenhouse,and adjust the quality and quantity of supplemental lighting accordingly.A Quantum sensor(or PAR sensor)can measure PAR more accurately than a digital light meter,which measures the light intensity or illuminance in the SI unit Lux,but a PAR sensor is relatively expensive and normally not affordable by an ordinary farmer.Therefore,based on the present investigation and experimental results,a very simple way to convert light intensity measured with a Lux meter into PAR is proposed,using a simple conversion factor(41.75 according to the present work).This allows a small-scale hydroponic farmer to use a simple and inexpensive technique to assess the day to day DLI values of PAR in a greenhouse accurately using just an inexpensive light meter.The present paper also proposes a more efficient way of using LED light panels in a hydroponic system.By moving the LED light panels closer to the crop,LED light source can use a fewer number of LEDs to produce the same required daily light requirement and can increase the efficiency of the power usage to more than 80%.Specifically,the present work has determined that it is important to design more efficient vertically movable LED light panels with capabilities of switching individual LEDs on and off,for the use in greenhouses.This allows a user to control the number of LEDs that can be lit at a particular time,as required.By doing so it is possible to increase the efficiency of a LED lighting system by reducing its cost of the electricity usage.

Modulation depth of series SQUIDs modified by Josephson junction area

The superconducting quantum interference device（SQUID） amplifier is widely used in the field of weak signal detection for its low input impedance, low noise, and low power consumption. In this paper, the SQUIDs with identical junctions and the series SQUIDs with different junctions were successfully fabricated. The Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb trilayer and input Nb coils were prepared by asputtering equipment. The SQUID devices were prepared by a sputtering and the lift-off method.Investigations by AFM, OM and SEM revealed the morphology and roughness of the Nb films and Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb trilayer.In addition, the current–voltage characteristics of the SQUID devices with identical junction and different junction areas were measured at 2.5 K in the He^3 refrigerator. The results show that the SQUID modulation depth is obviously affected by the junction area. The modulation depth obviously increases with the increase of the junction area in a certain range. It is found that the series SQUID with identical junction area has a transimpedance gain of 58 Ω approximately.

Thiourea functionalized CdSe/CdS quantum dots as a fluorescent sensor for mercury ion detection

CdSe/CdS quantum dots （QDs） functionalized by thiourea （TU） were synthesized and used as a fluorescent sensor for mercury ion detection. The TU-functionalized QDs were prepared by bonding TU via electrostatic interaction to the core/shell CdSe/CdS QDs after capping with thioglycolic acid （TGA）. It was observed that the fluorescence of the functionalized QDs was quenched upon the addition of Hg^2＋. The quantitative detection of Hg^2＋ with this fluorescent sensor could be conducted based on the linear relationship between the extent of quenching and the concentration of Hg^2＋ added in the range of 1-300 μg.L^-1, A detection limit of 0.56 μg.L^-1 was achieved. The sensor showed superior selectivity for Hg^2＋ and was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in environmental samples with satisfactory results

Emerging carbon-based nanosensor devices:structures,functions and applications

Bionanosensors and nanosensors have been devised in recent years with the use of various materials including carbon-based nanomaterials, for applications in diagnostics, environmental science and microelectronics. Carbon-based materials are critical for sensing applications, as they have physical and electronic properties which facilitate the detection of substances in solutions, gaseous compounds and pollutants through their conductive prop- erties and resonance-frequency transmission capacities. In this review, a series of recent studies of carbon nanotubes （CNTs） based nanosensors and optical systems are repor- ted, with emphasis on biochemical, chemical and envi- ronmental detection. This study also encompasses a background and description of the various properties of the nanomaterials, and the operation mechanism of the man- ufactured nanosensors. The use of computational chemistry is applied in describing the electronic properties and molecular events of the included nanomaterials during operation. This review shows that resonance-based sensing technologies reach detection limits for gases, such as ammonia down to 10-24 level. The study also shows that the properties of the carbon nanomaterials give them unique features that are critical for designing new sensors based on electrocatalysis and other reactive detection mechanisms. Several research fields can benefit from the described emerging technologies, such as areas of research in environmental monitoring, rapid-on site diagnostics, in situ analyses, and blood and urine sampling in medical and sport industry. Carbon nanomaterials are critical for the operational sensitivity of nanosensors. Considering the low cost of fabrication, carbon nanomaterials can represent an essential step in the manufacturing of tomorrow＇s commercial sensors.