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Ling Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Ling Wu.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Improved Cryogenic Photodiode Optical Biasing for Low-Noise and Low-Jitter Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors

We experimentally demonstrate an improved optical biasing scheme for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), which employs a cryogenic InGaAs-InP photodiode (PD) as a local bias source. It is found that, under illumination from a stable external light source, this PD generates a stable photocurrent in a cryogenic environment (~2.3 K), with fluctuations in the photocurrent primarily attributed to fluctuations in the incident optical power. Furthermore, by screening and effectively blocking stray photons leaking from the PD, which give rise to background dark counts, we have achieved an SNSPD exhibiting an ultra-low intrinsic dark count rate of 1e-4 cps. Utilizing this improved optical biasing technique, our SNSPD achieved performance comparable to that obtained under conventional electrical biasing: a system detection efficiency of 80.7%, a background dark count rate of 32.6 cps, and a minimum timing jitter of 57.5 ps. These results indicate that cryogenic-PD-based optical biasing serves as a viable, low-noise, and low-jitter alternative to traditional electrical biasing. Moreover, this work offers useful design guidance for the future development of PD-based low-noise bias sources and for the construction of all-photonic SNSPD systems tailored for high-precision quantum photonics applications.

quant-ph

The PokeAgent Challenge: Competitive and Long-Context Learning at Scale

We present the PokeAgent Challenge, a large-scale benchmark for decision-making research built on Pokemon's multi-agent battle system and expansive role-playing game (RPG) environment. Partial observability, game-theoretic reasoning, and long-horizon planning remain open problems for frontier AI, yet few benchmarks stress all three simultaneously under realistic conditions. PokeAgent targets these limitations at scale through two complementary tracks: our Battling Track, which calls for strategic reasoning and generalization under partial observability in competitive Pokemon battles, and our Speedrunning Track, which requires long-horizon planning and sequential decision-making in the Pokemon RPG. Our Battling Track supplies a dataset of 20M+ battle trajectories alongside a suite of heuristic, RL, and LLM-based baselines capable of high-level competitive play. Our Speedrunning Track provides the first standardized evaluation framework for RPG speedrunning, including an open-source multi-agent orchestration system for modular, reproducible comparisons of harness-based LLM approaches. Our NeurIPS 2025 competition validates both the quality of our resources and the research community's interest in Pokemon, with over 100 teams competing across both tracks and winning solutions detailed in our paper. Participant submissions and our baselines reveal considerable gaps between generalist (LLM), specialist (RL), and elite human performance. Analysis against the BenchPress evaluation matrix shows that Pokemon battling is nearly orthogonal to standard LLM benchmarks, measuring capabilities not captured by existing suites and positioning Pokemon as an unsolved benchmark that can drive RL and LLM research forward. We transition to a living benchmark with a live leaderboard for Battling and self-contained evaluation for Speedrunning at https://pokeagentchallenge.com.

cs.LG

DAONet-YOLOv8: An Occlusion-Aware Dual-Attention Network for Tea Leaf Pest and Disease Detection

Accurate detection of tea leaf pests and diseases in real plantations remains challenging due to complex backgrounds, variable illumination, and frequent occlusions among dense branches and leaves. Existing detectors often suffer from missed detections and false positives in such scenarios. To address these issues, we propose DAONet-YOLOv8, an enhanced YOLOv8 variant with three key improvements: (1) a Dual-Attention Fusion Module (DAFM) that combines convolutional local feature extraction with self-attention based global context modeling to focus on subtle lesion regions while suppressing background noise; (2) an occlusion-aware detection head (Detect-OAHead) that learns the relationship between visible and occluded parts to compensate for missing lesion features; and (3) a C2f-DSConv module employing dynamic synthesis convolutions with multiple kernel shapes to better capture irregular lesion boundaries. Experiments on our real-world tea plantation dataset containing six pest and disease categories demonstrate that DAONet-YOLOv8 achieves 92.97% precision, 92.80% recall, 97.10% mAP@50 and 76.90% mAP@50:95, outperforming the YOLOv8n baseline by 2.34, 4.68, 1.40 and 1.80 percentage points respectively, while reducing parameters by 16.7%. Comparative experiments further confirm that DAONet-YOLOv8 achieves superior performance over mainstream detection models.

cs.CV

CGF-DETR: Cross-Gated Fusion DETR for Enhanced Pneumonia Detection in Chest X-rays

Pneumonia remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, necessitating accurate and efficient automated detection systems. While recent transformer-based detectors like RT-DETR have shown promise in object detection tasks, their application to medical imaging, particularly pneumonia detection in chest X-rays, remains underexplored. This paper presents CGF-DETR, an enhanced real-time detection transformer specifically designed for pneumonia detection. We introduce XFABlock in the backbone to improve multi-scale feature extraction through convolutional attention mechanisms integrated with CSP architecture. To achieve efficient feature aggregation, we propose SPGA module that replaces standard multi-head attention with dynamic gating mechanisms and single-head self-attention. Additionally, GCFC3 is designed for the neck to enhance feature representation through multi-path convolution fusion while maintaining real-time performance via structural re-parameterization. Extensive experiments on the RSNA Pneumonia Detection dataset demonstrate that CGF-DETR achieves 82.2% mAP@0.5, outperforming the baseline RT-DETR-l by 3.7% while maintaining comparable inference speed at 48.1 FPS. Our ablation studies confirm that each proposed module contributes meaningfully to the overall performance improvement, with the complete model achieving 50.4% mAP@[0.5:0.95]

cs.CV

Knowledge Acquisition on Mass-shooting Events via LLMs for AI-Driven Justice

Mass-shooting events pose a significant challenge to public safety, generating large volumes of unstructured textual data that hinder effective investigations and the formulation of public policy. Despite the urgency, few prior studies have effectively automated the extraction of key information from these events to support legal and investigative efforts. This paper presented the first dataset designed for knowledge acquisition on mass-shooting events through the application of named entity recognition (NER) techniques. It focuses on identifying key entities such as offenders, victims, locations, and criminal instruments, that are vital for legal and investigative purposes. The NER process is powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) using few-shot prompting, facilitating the efficient extraction and organization of critical information from diverse sources, including news articles, police reports, and social media. Experimental results on real-world mass-shooting corpora demonstrate that GPT-4o is the most effective model for mass-shooting NER, achieving the highest Micro Precision, Micro Recall, and Micro F1-scores. Meanwhile, o1-mini delivers competitive performance, making it a resource-efficient alternative for less complex NER tasks. It is also observed that increasing the shot count enhances the performance of all models, but the gains are more substantial for GPT-4o and o1-mini, highlighting their superior adaptability to few-shot learning scenarios.

cs.CY

Impact of helium ion irradiation on the thermal properties of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

SNSPDs are indispensable for applications ranging from quantum information processing to deep-space optical communications, owing to their high detection efficiency, low dark counts, and excellent timing resolution. However, further improving the intrinsic detection efficiency (IDE) remains crucial for optimizing SNSPD performance. Ion irradiation has recently emerged as a powerful post-fabrication method to enhance SNSPD characteristics. Here, we studied the effects of He-ion irradiation on the thermal properties of NbN SNSPDs. We systematically examine the evolution of thermal boundary conductance as a function of ion fluence (0-1.1E17 ions/cm2), observing a 57% decrease from 127 to 54 W/m^2K^4 with increasing fluence, followed by saturation at approximately 9E16 ions/cm2. At this fluence, the minimum hotspot relaxation time measurements indicate a 41% increase, rising from 17 to 24 ps,while the electron-phonon interaction time decreases, with the magnitude of change depending on temperature and sample batch.TEM reveals defect formation at the NbN/SiO2 interface (6-8 nm) and He-bubble formation within the SiO2 layer (30-260 nm), contributing to the extended thermal relaxation time. These irradiation-induced modifications play a key role in enhancing the IDE of the treated devices. We further demonstrate a post-irradiation SNSPD showing a saturated IDE plateau at 2000 nm from 2.7 K to 28 mK, enabled by thermal modifications and a weakly wavelength-dependent avalanche-assisted mechanism. Our findings highlight ion irradiation as a valuable tool for thermal tailoring in SNSPDs and advance the understanding of detection physics and defect engineering in superconducting optoelectronics.

physics.app-ph

A free-space coupled, large-active-area superconducting microstrip single-photon detector for photon-counting time-of-flight imaging

Numerous applications at the photon-starved regime require a free-space coupling singlephoton detector with a large active area, low dark count rate (DCR), and superior time resolutions. Here,we developed a superconducting microstrip single-photon detector (SMSPD), with a large active area of 260 um in diameter, a DCR of ~5 kcps, and a low time jitter of ~171 ps, operated at near-infrared of 1550 nm. As a demonstration, we applied the detector to a single-pixel galvanometer scanning system and successfully reconstructed object information in depth and intensity using a time-correlated photon counting technology.

physics.app-ph

A quantum annealing-sequential quadratic programming assisted finite element simulation for non-linear and history-dependent mechanical problems

We propose a framework to solve non-linear and history-dependent mechanical problems based on a hybrid classical computer -- quantum annealer approach. Quantum Computers are anticipated to solve particular operations exponentially faster. The available possible operations are however not as versatile as with a classical computer. However, quantum annealers (QAs) are well suited to evaluate the minimum state of a Hamiltonian quadratic potential. Therefore, we reformulate the elasto-plastic finite element problem as a double-minimisation process framed at the structural scale using the variational updates formulation. In order to comply with the expected quadratic nature of the Hamiltonian, the resulting non-linear minimisation problems are iteratively solved with the suggested Quantum Annealing-assisted Sequential Quadratic Programming (QA-SQP): a sequence of minimising quadratic problems is performed by approximating the objective function by a quadratic Taylor's series. Each quadratic minimisation problem of continuous variables is then transformed into a binary quadratic problem. This binary quadratic minimisation problem can be solved on quantum annealing hardware such as the D-Wave system. The applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated with one- and two-dimensional elasto-plastic numerical benchmarks. The current work provides a pathway of performing general non-linear finite element simulations assisted by quantum computing.

cs.CE

Gate-Tunable Critical Current of the Three-Dimensional Niobium Nano-Bridge Josephson Junction

Recent studies have shown that the critical currents of several metallic superconducting nanowires and Dayem bridges can be locally tuned using a gate voltage {V_g}. Here, we report a gate-tunable Josephson junction structure constructed from a three-dimensional (3D) niobium nano-bridge junction (NBJ) with a voltage gate on top. Measurements up to 6 K showed that the critical current of this structure can be tuned to zero by increasing {V_g}. The critical gate voltage Vgc was reduced to 16 V and may possibly be reduced further by reducing the thickness of the insulation layer between the gate and the NBJ. Furthermore, the flux modulation generated by Josephson interference of two parallel 3D NBJs can also be tuned using {V_g} in a similar manner. Therefore, we believe that this gate-tunable Josephson junction structure is promising for superconducting circuit fabrication at high integration levels.

cond-mat.supr-con

Geometric Scaling of the Current-Phase Relation of Niobium Nano-Bridge Junctions

The nano-bridge junction (NBJ) is a type of Josephson junction that is advantageous for the miniaturization of superconducting circuits. However, the current-phase relation (CPR) of the NBJ usually deviates from a sinusoidal function which has been explained by a simplified model with correlation only to its effective length. Here, we investigated both measured and calculated CPRs of niobium NBJs of a cuboidal shape with a three-dimensional bank structure. From a sine-wave to a saw-tooth-like form, we showed that deviated CPRs of NBJs can be described quantitatively by its skewness {\Delta}{\theta}. Furthermore, the measured dependency of {\Delta}{\theta} on the critical current {I_0} from 108 NBJs turned out to be consistent with the calculated ones derived from the change in geometric dimensions. It suggested that the CPRs of NBJs can be tuned by their geometric dimensions. In addition, the calculated scaling behavior of {\Delta}{\theta} versus {I_0} in three-dimensional space was provided for the future design of superconducting circuits of a high integration level by using niobium NBJs.

cond-mat.mes-hall

A direct approach to sharp Li-Yau Estimates on closed manifolds with negative Ricci lower bound

Recently, Qi S.Zhang [26] has derived a sharp Li-Yau estimate for positive solutions of the heat equation on closed Riemannian manifolds with the Ricci curvature bounded below by a negative constant. The proof is based on an integral iteration argument which utilizes Hamilton's gradient estimate, heat kernel Gaussian bounds and parabolic Harnack inequality. In this paper, we show that the sharp Li-Yau estimate can actually be obtained directly following the classical maximum principle argument, which simplifies the proof in [26]. In addition, we apply the same idea to the heat and conjugate heat equations under the Ricci flow and prove some Li-Yau type estimates with optimal coefficients.

math.DG

Heat kernel estimate for the Laplace-Beltrami operator under Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature condition and applications

We establish a Gaussian upper bound of the heat kernel for the Laplace-Beltrami operator on complete Riemannian manifolds with Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature bounded below. As applications, we first prove an L^1-Liouville property for non-negative subharmonic functions when the potential function of the Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature tensor is of at most quadratic growth. Then we derive lower bounds of the eigenvalues of the Laplace-Beltrami operator on closed manifolds. An upper bound of the bottom spectrum is also obtained.

math.DG

Millimeter-scale active area superconducting microstrip single-photon detector fabricated by ultraviolet photolithography

The effective and convenient detection of single photons via advanced detectors with a large active area is becoming significant for quantum and classical applications. This work demonstrates the fabrication of a superconducting microstrip single-photon detector (SMSPD) with a millimeter-scale active area via the use of ultraviolet (UV) photolithography. The performances of NbN SMSPDs with different active areas and strip widths are characterized. SMSPDs fabricated by UV photolithography and electron beam lithography with small active areas are also compared from the aspects of the switching current density and line edge roughness. Furthermore, an SMSPD with an active area of 1 mm * 1 mm is obtained via UV photolithography, and during operation at 0.85 K, it exhibits near-saturated internal detection efficiency at wavelengths up to 800 nm. At a wavelength of 1550 nm, the detector exhibits a system detection efficiency of ~5% (7%) and a timing jitter of 102 (144) ps, when illuminated with a light spot of ~18 (600) um in diameter, respectively.

physics.ins-det

Time analyticity for the heat equation under Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature condition

Inspired by Hongjie Dong and Qi S. Zhang's article \cite{ZQ2}, we find that the analyticity in time for a smooth solution of the heat equation with exponential quadratic growth in the space variable can be extended to any complete noncompact Riemannian manifolds with Bakry-\'Emery Ricci curvature bounded below and the potential function being of at most quadratic growth. Therefore, our result holds on all gradient Ricci solitons. As a corollary, we give a necessary and sufficient condition on the solvability of the backward heat equation in a class of functions with the similar growth condition. In addition, we also consider the solution in certain $L^p$ spaces with $p\in[2,+\infty)$ and prove its analyticity with respect to time.

math.DG

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) with dimensionality reduction and break down in computational mechanics; application to multi-scale localization step

Artificial Neural Networks (NNWs) are appealing functions to substitute high dimensional and non-linear history-dependent problems in computational mechanics since they offer the possibility to drastically reduce the computational time. This feature has recently been exploited in the context of multi-scale simulations, in which the NNWs serve as surrogate model of micro-scale finite element resolutions. Nevertheless, in the literature, mainly the macro-stress-macro-strain response of the meso-scale boundary value problem was considered and the micro-structure information could not be recovered in a so-called localization step. In this work, we develop Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) as surrogates of the RVE response while being able to recover the evolution of the local micro-structure state variables for complex loading scenarios. The main difficulty is the high dimensionality of the RNNs output which consists in the internal state variable distribution in the micro-structure. We thus propose and compare several surrogate models based on a dimensionality reduction: i) direct RNN modeling with implicit NNW dimensionality reduction, ii) RNN with PCA dimensionality reduction, and iii) RNN with PCA dimensionality reduction and dimensionality break down, i.e. the use of several RNNs instead of a single one. Besides, we optimize the sequential training strategy of the latter surrogate for GPU usage in order to speed up the process. Finally, through RNN modeling of the principal components coefficients, the connection between the physical state variables and the hidden variables of the RNN is revealed, and exploited in order to select the hyper-parameters of the RNN-based surrogate models in their design stage.

cs.CE

Eigenvalue estimates for Beltrami-Laplacian under Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature condition

On closed Riemannian manifolds with Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature bounded from below and bounded gradient of the potential function, we obtain lower bounds for all positive eigenvalues of the Beltrami-Laplacian instead of the drifted Laplacian. The lower bound of the $k$th eigenvalue depends on $k$, Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature lower bound, the gradient bound of the potential function, and the dimension and diameter upper bound of the manifold, but the volume of the manifold is not involved. Especially, these results apply to closed manifolds with Ricci curvature bounded from below.

math.DG

Isomorphy Classes of $k$-Involutions of $\text{SO}(n, k,β)$, $n > 2$

A first characterization of the isomorphism classes of $k$-involutions for any reductive algebraic group defined over a perfect field was given in \cite{Helm2000} using $3$ invariants. In \cite{HWD04,Helm-Wu2002} a full classification of all $k$-involutions on $\text{SL}(n,k)$ for $k$ algebraically closed, the real numbers, the $p$-adic numbers or a finite field was provided. In this paper, we find analogous results to develop a detailed characterization of the $k$-involutions of $\text{SO}(n,k,β)$, where $β$ is any non-degenerate symmetric bilinear form and $k$ is any field not of characteristic $2$. We use these results to classify the isomorphy classes of $k$-involutions of $\text{SO}(n, k,β)$ for some bilinear forms and some fields $k$.

math.RT