Abstract: A converging thermal lens is transiently formed by directing a shaped pulsed light beam having at least a first wavelength to a thermo-optic material, whereby the thermo-optic material absorbs the light beam and experiences local heating in response thereto. The heating induces a refractive index profile in the thermo-optic material that temporarily forms the converging thermal lens. In some embodiments, the refractive index of the thermo-optic material has a negative temperature dependence, and the pulsed light beam is shaped to have an inverted light pattern with a maximum intensity in an outer region of the beam cross-section. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the refractive index of the thermo-optic material has a positive temperature dependence, and the pulsed light beam is shaped to have a radially-varying light pattern with a maximum intensity in a central region of the beam cross-section.

Abstract: The disclosure describes aspects of using multiple species in trapped-ion nodes for quantum networking. In an aspect, a quantum networking node is described that includes multiple memory qubits, each memory qubit being based on a 171Yb+ atomic ion, and one or more communication qubits, each communication qubit being based on a 138Ba+ atomic ion. The memory and communication qubits are part of a lattice in an atomic ion trap. In another aspect, a quantum computing system having a modular optical architecture is described that includes multiple quantum networking nodes, each quantum networking node including multiple memory qubits (e.g., based on a 171Yb+ atomic ion) and one or more communication qubits (e.g., based on a 138Ba+ atomic ion). The memory and communication qubits are part of a lattice in an atomic ion trap. The system further includes a photonic entangler coupled to each of the multiple quantum networking nodes.

Abstract: A monitoring device for a battery pack, which includes a plurality of battery cells, has at least one ultrasound source and at least one ultrasound sensor. The ultrasound source can be configured to generate and direct ultrasound at one or more battery cells of the battery pack. The ultrasound sensor can be configured to detect ultrasound reflected from or transmitted through one or more cells of the battery pack. A battery management unit receives one or more signals from the ultrasound sensor responsive to the detected ultrasound. The battery management unit can be configured to determine a state of the battery pack based at least in part on the detected ultrasound.

Abstract: A circulator includes a central circuit having a first superconducting island, a second superconducting island, a third superconducting island, and a central island, each in electrical communication with each other via a plurality of Josephson junctions.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a cellular foam composition, a method for producing and using the same. One particular aspect of the disclosure provides a cellular foam composition comprising a plurality of foam layers, where each foam layer is made from a hollow microstructure material. In particular, the density of the hollow microstructure material in each foam layer is different from the density of the hollow microstructure material that forms the adjacent foam layer. In some embodiments, cellular foam compositions of the disclosure further include an interfacial layer comprising interfacial voids in between adjacent layers.

Abstract: Highly transparent (up to 92% light transmittance) wood composites have been developed. The process of fabricating the transparent wood composites includes lignin removal followed by index-matching polymer infiltration resulted in fabrication of the transparent wood composites with preserved naturally aligned nanoscale fibers. The thickness of the transparent wood composite can be tailored by controlling the thickness of the initial wood substrate. The optical transmittance can be tailored by selecting infiltrating polymers with different refractive indices. The transparent wood composites have a range of applications in biodegradable electronics, optoelectronics, as well as structural and energy efficient building materials. By coating the transparent wood composite layer on the surface of GaAs thin film solar cell, an 18% enhancement in the overall energy conversion efficiency has been attained.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides aqueous electrolytes with a lower salt concentration and wider electrochemical stability window compared to water-in-salt electrolytes. The aqueous electrolyte composition of the disclosure comprises an anti-solvent, which reduces the H2O activity and the amount of H2O in the Li-ion solvation sheath. In one particular embodiment of the disclosure provides a nonflammable aqueous electrolyte composition for a lithium-ion battery, wherein the aqueous electrolyte composition comprises: an electrolyte salt comprising a lithium salt; water; and an organic component that is miscible with water. In some embodiments, the electrochemical stability window of the aqueous electrolyte composition is greater than 3.0 V and a molality of an electrolyte salt in said aqueous electrolyte composition is about 5 m or less.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides rechargeable divalent metal batteries comprising a multidentate compound. In particular, the presence of a multidentate compound in the electrolyte of the rechargeable divalent metal batteries significantly increases the interfacial charge transfer kinetics and/or suppresses undesired side reactions on both cathodes and metal anodes. It is believed that these effects are at least in part due to solvation sheath reorganization by the multidentate compound. Other aspects of the disclosure include methods for reducing a charge transfer overpotential and methods for increasing a charge transfer kinetics in rechargeable divalent metal batteries.

Abstract: A flexible structure is formed by subjecting cellulose-based natural wood material to a chemical treatment that partially removes hemicellulose and lignin therefrom. The treated wood has a unique 3-D porous structure with numerous channels, excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, and improved flexibility as compared to the natural wood. By further modifying the treated wood, the structure can be adapted to particular applications. For example, nanoparticles, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or any other coating or material can be added to the treated wood to form a hybrid structure. In some embodiments, open lumina within the structure can be at least partially filled with a non-wood substance, such as a flexible polymer, or with entangled cellulose nanofibers.

Abstract: A Brillouin modality can be supplemented by an auxiliary modality, such as an optical imaging modality or a spectroscopy modality. In some embodiments, the auxiliary modality can be used to guide the Brillouin measurement to a desired region of interest, so that acquisition times for the Brillouin measurement can be reduced as compared to interrogating the entire sample. The auxiliary modality may have an acquisition speed faster than that of the Brillouin modality. In some embodiment, the auxiliary modality determines a composition of materials within a voxel in the sample interrogated by the Brillouin modality. Using the information provided by the auxiliary modality, the Brillouin signatures corresponding to the materials within the voxel can be unmixed, thereby providing a more accurate measurement of the sample.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling an articulating member including a tool. The method includes determining a first confidence indicator based on a manual control mode for the articulating member, determining a second confidence indicator based on an autonomous control mode for the articulating member, generating an allocation function based on the first confidence indicator and the second confidence indicator, and generating a control command for the articulating member based on the allocation function.

Abstract: The disclosure describes various aspects of optical control of atomic quantum bits (qubits) for phase control operations. More specifically, the disclosure describes methods for coherently controlling quantum phases on atomic qubits mediated by optical control fields, applying to quantum logic gates, and generalized interactions between qubits. Various attributes and settings of optical/qubit interactions (e.g., atomic energy structure, laser beam geometry, polarization, spectrum, phase, background magnetic field) are identified for imprinting and storing phase in qubits. The disclosure further describes how these control attributes are best matched in order to control and stabilize qubit interactions and allow extended phase-stable quantum gate sequences.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling an articulating member including a tool. The system may include a dual camera system that captures near-infrared (NIR) images and point cloud images of a tissue or other substance that includes NIR markers. The system may generate a three-dimensional (3D) path based on identified positions of the NIR markers, may filter the generated path, and may generate a 3D trajectory for controlling the articulated arm of a robot having a tool to create an incision along the filtered path. In a shared control mode, an operator may generate manually control commands for the robot to guide the tool along such a path, while automated control commands are generated in parallel. One or more allocation functions may be calculated based on calculated manual and automated error models, and shared control signals may be generated based on the allocation functions.

Abstract: A catalytic structure has a plurality of high-entropy alloy (HEA) nanoparticles. Each HEA nanoparticle is composed of a homogeneous mixture of elements of cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), and at least two transition metal elements. For example, in some embodiments, each HEA nanoparticle is a quinary mixture of Co, Mo, iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu). The homogeneous mixture in each HEA nanoparticle forms a single solid-solution phase. The catalytic structure is used to catalyze a chemical reaction, for example, ammonia decomposition or ammonia synthesis. Methods for forming the catalytic structure are also disclosed.

Abstract: A sintering furnace can have a housing, one or more heating elements, and a conveying assembly. Each heating element can be disposed within the housing and can subject a heating zone to a thermal shock temperature profile. A substrate with one or more precursors thereon can be moved by the conveying assembly through an inlet of the housing to the heating zone, where it is subjected to a first temperature of at least 500° C. for a first time period. The conveying assembly can then move the substrate with one or more sintered materials thereon from the heating zone and through an outlet of the housing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for imaging microtentacles on isolated, living, non-adherent primary tumor cells from a cancer subject comprising: i) obtaining one or more living, non-adherent primary tumor cells that has been isolated from a solid tumor from the subject; and ii) imaging the one or more living, non-adherent primary tumor cells and detecting the microtentacles.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a one-pot chemoenzymatic method for site-specific modification and conjugation of antibodies at their Fc glycan site to produce structurally well-defined antibody conjugates carrying defined drugs and other entities. The method is enabled by the discovery that certain endoglycosidases have the ability to both deglycosylate an antibody and to recognize selectively modified small disaccharide oxazolines for transglycosylation on antibodies without hydrolysis of the resulting products.

Abstract: The disclosure describes various aspects related to enabling effective multi-qubit operations, and more specifically, to techniques for enabling parallel multi-qubit operations on a universal ion trap quantum computer. In an aspect, a method of performing quantum operations in an ion trap quantum computer or trapped-ion quantum system includes implementing at least two parallel gates of a quantum circuit, each of the at least two parallel gates is a multi-qubit gate, each of the at least two parallel gates is implemented using a different set of ions of a plurality of ions in a ion trap, and the plurality of ions includes four or more ions. The method further includes simultaneously performing operations on the at least two parallel gates as part of the quantum operations. A trapped-ion quantum system and a computer-readable storage medium corresponding to the method described above are also disclosed.

Abstract: The disclosure provides rechargeable lithium ion batteries comprising at least one lithium salt-graphite composite electrode. In particular, the disclosure provides a rechargeable “water-in-bisalt” lithium ion battery with a high potential where at least a portion of the lithium salt is phase separated from the aqueous electrolyte, and where the anionic-redox reaction occurs within the graphitic lattice.

Abstract: An afocal sensor assembly detects a light beam with an aberrated wavefront. The afocal sensor assembly is configured to provide sorted four-dimensional (4D) light field information regarding the light beam, for example, via one or more plenoptic images. Based on the 4D light field information, a lossy reconstruction of an aberrated wavefront for one or more actuators of an adaptive optics (AO) device is performed. The AO device can be controlled based on the lossy reconstruction to correct the wavefront of the light beam. In some embodiments, the aberrated wavefront is due to passage of the light beam through atmospheric turbulence, and the lossy reconstruction and correction using the AO device is performed in less than 1.0 ms. The lossy reconstruction of the aberrated wavefront can have a phase accuracy in a range of ?/2 to ?/30.