Hexagonal boron nitride as a low-loss dielectric for superconducting quantum circuits and qubits.

Dielectrics with low loss at microwave frequencies are imperative for high-coherence solid-state quantum computing platforms. Here we study the dielectric loss of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) thin films in the microwave regime by measuring the quality factor of parallel-plate capacitors (PPCs) made of NbSe-hBN-NbSe heterostructures integrated into superconducting circuits. The extracted microwave loss tangent of hBN is bounded to be at most in the mid-10 range in the low-temperature, single-photon regime.

Transgene Delivery to Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Nanoparticles.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and hiPSCs-derived cells have the potential to revolutionize regenerative and precision medicine. Genetically reprograming somatic cells to generate hiPSCs and genetic modification of hiPSCs are considered the key procedures for the study and application of hiPSCs. However, there are significant technical challenges for transgene delivery into somatic cells and hiPSCs since these cells are known to be difficult to transfect.

Robust kHz-linewidth distributed Bragg reflector laser with optoelectronic feedback.

We demonstrate a combination of optical and electronic feedback that significantly narrows the linewidth of distributed Bragg reflector lasers (DBRs). We use optical feedback from a long external fiber path to reduce the high-frequency noise of the laser. An electro-optic modulator placed inside the optical feedback path allows us to apply electronic feedback to the laser frequency with very large bandwidth, enabling robust and stable locking to a reference cavity that suppresses low-frequency components of laser noise.

Near-Unitary Spin Squeezing in ^{171}Yb.

Spin squeezing can improve atomic precision measurements beyond the standard quantum limit (SQL), and unitary spin squeezing is essential for improving atomic clocks. We report substantial and nearly unitary spin squeezing in ^{171}Yb, an optical lattice clock atom. The collective nuclear spin of ∼10^{3} atoms is squeezed by cavity feedback, using light detuned from the system's resonances to attain unitarity.

Highly efficient transfection of human induced pluripotent stem cells using magnetic nanoparticles.

Purpose: The delivery of transgenes into human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) represents an important tool in cardiac regeneration with potential for clinical applications. Gene transfection is more difficult, however, for hiPSCs and hiPSC-CMs than for somatic cells. Despite improvements in transfection and transduction, the efficiency, cytotoxicity, safety, and cost of these methods remain unsatisfactory.

High-Velocity Saturation in Graphene Encapsulated by Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

We measure drift velocity in monolayer graphene encapsulated by hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), probing its dependence on carrier density and temperature. Due to the high mobility (>5 × 10 cm/V/s) of our samples, the drift velocity begins to saturate at low electric fields (∼0.1 V/μm) at room temperature.