A sensitive electrometer based on a Rydberg atom in a Schrödinger-cat state.

Fundamental quantum fluctuations caused by the Heisenberg principle limit measurement precision. If the uncertainty is distributed equally between conjugate variables of the meter system, the measurement precision cannot exceed the standard quantum limit. When the meter is a large angular momentum, going beyond the standard quantum limit requires non-classical states such as squeezed states or Schrödinger-cat-like states.

The differential extension in dsDNA bound to Rad51 filaments may play important roles in homology recognition and strand exchange.

RecA and Rad51 proteins play an important role in DNA repair and homologous recombination. For RecA, X-ray structure information and single molecule force experiments have indicated that the differential extension between the complementary strand and its Watson-Crick pairing partners promotes the rapid unbinding of non-homologous dsDNA and drives strand exchange forward for homologous dsDNA. In this work we find that both effects are also present in Rad51 protein.