We demonstrate the generation of rubidium-resonant heralded single photons for quantum memories. Photon pairs are created by cavity-enhanced down-conversion and narrowed in bandwidth to 7 MHz with a novel atom-based filter operating by "interaction-free measurement" principles. At least 94% of the heralded photons are atom-resonant as demonstrated by a direct absorption measurement with rubidium vapor. A heralded auto-correlation measurement shows $g_c^{(2)}(0)=0.040 \pm 0.012$, i.e., suppression of multi-photon contributions by a factor of 25 relative to a coherent state. The generated heralded photons can readily be used in quantum memories and quantum networks.
We report on a single-photon-to-single-atom interface, where a single photon generated by Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) is absorbed by a single trapped ion. The photon is heralded by its time-correlated partner generated in the SPDC process, while the absorption event is heralded by a single photon emitted in its course. Coincidence detection marks doubly-heralded absorption, enabling photon-to-atom quantum state transfer [1, 2]. Background in the coincidence measurement is strongly suppressed by a new method that discriminates real absorption events from dark count-induced coi…
We demonstrate a method for time gating the standard heralded continuous- wave (cw) spontaneous parametric down-converted (SPDC) single photon source by using pulsed pumping of the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) below threshold. The narrow bandwidth, high purity, high spectral brightness and the pseudo-deterministic character make the source highly suitable for light-atom interfaces with atomic memories.
We propose a protocol to realize atomic nonadiabatic holonomic quantum computation (NHQC) with two computational atoms and an auxiliary atom. Dynamics of the system is analyzed in the regime of Rydberg blockade, and robust laser pulses are designed via reverse engineering, so that quantum gates can be easily realized with high fidelities. In addition, we also study the evolution suffering from dissipation with a master equation. The result indicates that decays of atoms can be heralded by measuring the state of the auxiliary atom, and nearly perfect unitary evolution can be obtained if the aux…
We propose a scheme to generate two-photon, two-atom, or atom-photon entangledstates with a coupled system of two cavities. In our scheme, two cavity photonsare exchanged by the direct inter-cavity coupling, while atoms in the cavitiessimply play the role of generating and probing them. By virtue of the highefficiency of atomic state measurement, this method enables the realization ofefficient heralded entanglement generation robust against photon loss, whichgreatly facilitates applications in quantum information processing.
Combining techniques of cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum measurement, and quantum feedback, we have realized the heralded transfer of a polarization qubit from a photon onto a single atom with 39% efficiency and 86% fidelity. The reverse process, namely, qubit transfer from the atom onto a given photon, is demonstrated with 88% fidelity and an estimated efficiency of up to 69%. In contrast to previous work based on two-photon interference, our scheme is robust against photon arrival-time jitter and achieves much higher efficiencies. Thus, it constitutes a key step toward the implementat…
We propose a scheme for preparing an ensemble of atoms in a maximally entangled W state by exploiting the Rydberg blockade effect. The success of our protocol is indicated by the detection of an ion, which thus serves as a herald for successful entangled state preparation. The fidelity of the preparation scheme is independent of the number of atoms in the ensemble. Therefore, a small cloud of atoms in a dipole trap randomly loaded from a background gas can be reliably prepared in a maximally entangled state despite of atom number fluctuations.
We present, characterize, and apply a photonic quantum interface between the near infrared and telecom spectral regions. A singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) operated below threshold, in combination with external filters, generates high-rate ($>2.5\cdot10^6~{\rm s}^{-1}$) narrowband photon pairs ($\sim 7$ MHz bandwidth); the signal photons are tuned to resonance with an atomic transition in Ca$^+$, while the idler photons are at telecom wavelength. Quantum interface operation is demonstrated through high-rate absorption of single photons by a single trapped ion ($\sim 670~{\rm…
A quantum network combines the benefits of quantum systems regarding secure information transmission and calculational speed-up by employing quantum coherence and entanglement to store, transmit, and process information. A promising platform for implementing such a network are atom-based quantum memories and processors, interconnected by photonic quantum channels. A crucial building block in this scenario is the conversion of quantum states between single photons and single atoms through controlled emission and absorption. Here we present an experimental protocol for photon-to-atom quantum sta…
We present Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of single photons generated via two different physical processes by two independent atomic systems: scattering by a single atom, and parametric generation via four-wave mixing in a cloud of cold atoms. Without any spectral filtering, we observe a visibility of V=62$\pm$4%. After correcting for accidental coincidences, we obtain V=93$\pm$6%. The observed interference demonstrates the compatibility of the two sources, forming the basis for an efficient quantum interface between different physical systems.
We propose a scheme to implement a heralded quantum memory for single-photon polarization qubits with a single atom trapped in an optical cavity. In this scheme, an injected photon only exchanges quantum state with the atom, so that the heralded storage can be achieved by detecting the output photon. We also demonstrate that the scheme can be used for realizing the heralded quantum state transfer, exchange and entanglement distribution between distant nodes. The ability to detect whether the operation has succeeded or not is crucial for practical application.
Telecom photonic quantum networks with matter quantum systems enable a rich variety of applications, such as a long distance quantum cryptography and one-way quantum computing. Preparation of a heralded single excitation (HSE) in an atomic ensemble by detecting a telecom wavelength photon having a correlation with the atomic excitation is an important step. Such a system has been demonstrated with a quantum frequency conversion (QFC) to telecom wavelength employing a Rb atomic cloud. However the limited wavelength selection prevents the next step. Here we for the first time demonstrate HSE wit…
WaveguideQEDoffers the possibility of generating strong coherent atomic interactions either through appropriate atomic configurations in the dissipative regime or in the bandgap regime. In this work, we show how to harness these interactions in order to herald the generation of highly entangled atomic states, which afterwards can be mapped to generate single mode multi-photonic states with high fidelities.Weintroduce two protocols for the preparation of the atomic states, we discuss their performance and compare them to previous proposals. In particular, we show that one of them reaches high p…
An obvious way to entangle two atoms located at remote locations is to produce a pair of entangled photons half-way between the two atoms, to sent one photon to each location and to subsequently map the photonic entanglement into the atoms. The efficiency of this process is, however, fundamentally limited due to overall transmission losses. We propose a method to herald the success of the mapping operation in free space without destroying nor revealing the stored quantum state. Interestingly for a Bell test, the heralding signal does not open the detection loophole provided the measurement cho…
The emission and absorption of single photons by single atomic particles is a fundamental limit of matter-light interaction, manifesting its quantum mechanical nature. At the same time, as a controlled process it is a key enabling tool for quantum technologies, such as quantum optical information technology [1, 2] and quantum metrology [3, 4, 5, 6]. Controlling both emission and absorption will allow implementing quantum networking scenarios [1, 7, 8, 9], where photonic communication of quantum information is interfaced with its local processing in atoms. In studies of single-photon emission, …
Time-bin entangled single-photons are highly demanded for long distance quantum communication. We propose a heralded source of tunable narrowband single photons entangled in well-separated multiple temporal modes (time bins) with controllable amplitudes. The detection of a single Stokes photon generated in a cold atomic ensemble via Raman scattering of a weak write pulse heralds the preparation of one spin excitation stored within the atomic medium. A train of read laser pulses deterministically converts the atomic excitation into a single anti-Stokes photon delocalized in multi-time-bins. The…
We propose a scheme to realize heralded quantum entanglement between two distant matter qubits using two $Λ$ atom systems. Our proposal does not need any photon interference. We also present a general theory of outcome state of non-monochromatic incident light and finite interaction time.
Quantum repeater is one of the important building blocks for long distance quantum communication network. The previous quantum repeaters based on atomic ensembles and linear optical elements can only be performed with a maximal success probability of 1/2 during the entanglement creation and entanglement swapping procedures. Meanwhile, the polarization noise during the entanglement distribution process is harmful to the entangled channel created. Here we introduce a general interface between a polarized photon and an atomic ensemble trapped in a single-sided optical cavity, and with which we pr…
We propose a technique for quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement and heralded preparation of Fock states by dynamics of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). An atomic ensemble trapped in an optical cavity is driven by two external continuous-wave classical fields to form EIT in steady state. As soon as a weak coherent field is injected into the cavity, the EIT system departs from steady state, falls into transient state dynamics by the dispersive coupling between cavity injected photons and atoms. Because the imaginary part of time-dependent linear susceptibility Im[X(t)] of the a…
We theoretically investigate the generation of heralded entanglement between two identical atoms via cavity-assisted photon scattering in two different configurations, namely either both atoms confined in the same cavity or trapped into locally separated ones. Our protocols are given by a very simple and elegant single-step process, whose key mechanism is a controlled-phase-flip gate implemented by impinging a single photon on single-sided cavities. In particular, when the atoms are localized in remote cavities, we introduce a single-step parallel quantum circuit instead of the serial process …
Heralded near-deterministic multi-qubit controlled phase gates with integrated error detection have recently been proposed by Borregaard et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 110502 (2015)]. This protocol is based on a single four-level atom (a heralding quartit) and $N$ three-level atoms (operational qutrits) coupled to a single-resonator mode acting as a cavity bus. Here we generalize this method for two distant resonators without the cavity bus between the heralding and operational atoms. Specifically, we analyze the two-qubit controlled-Z gate and its multi-qubit-controlled generalization (i.e., a…
Together with photon emission, the absorption of a single photon by a single atom is a fundamental process in matter-light interaction that manifests its quantum mechanical nature. As an experimentally controlled process, it is a key tool for the realization of quantum technologies. In particular, in an atom/photon based quantum network scenario, in which localized atomic particles are used as quantum information processing nodes while photons are used as carriers of quantum information between distant nodes, controlling both emission and absorption of single photons by single atoms is require…
We report on a source of heralded narrowband (3MHz) single photons compatible with solid-state spin-wave quantum memories based on praseodymium doped crystals. Widely non-degenerate narrow-band photon pairs are generated using cavity enhanced down conversion. One photon from the pair is at telecom wavelengths and serves as heralding signal, while the heralded single photon is at 606nm, resonant with an optical transition in Pr:YSO. The source offers a heralding efficiency of 28% and a generation rate exceeding 2000 pairs/mW in a single-mode. The single photon nature of the heralded field is co…
Efficient heralded generation of entanglement together with its manipulation is of great importance for quantum communications. In addition, states generated with bandwidths naturally compatible with atomic transitions allow a more efficient mapping of light into matter which is an essential requirement for long distance quantum communications. Here we propose a scheme where the indistinguishability between two spontaneous four-wave mixing processes is engineered to herald generation of single-photon frequency-bin entangled states, i.e., single-photons shared by two distinct frequency modes. W…
High visibility on-chip quantum interference among indistinguishable single-photons from multiples sources is a key prerequisite for integrated linear optical quantum computing. Resonant enhancement in micro-ring resonators naturally enables brighter, purer and more indistinguishable single-photon production without any tight spectral filtering. The indistinguishability of heralded single-photons from multiple micro-ring resonators has not been measured in any photonic platform. Here, we report on-chip indistinguishability measurements of heralded single-photons generated from independent micr…
We propose a heralded quantum repeater based on the scattering of photons off single emitters in one-dimensional waveguides. We show the details by implementing nonlocal entanglement generation, entanglement swapping, and entanglement purification modules with atoms in waveguides, and discuss the feasibility of the repeater with currently achievable technology. In our scheme, the faulty events can be discarded by detecting the polarization of the photons. That is, our protocols are accomplished with fidelity of 100% in principle, which is advantageous for implementing realistic long-distance q…
We propose a simple heralded amplification scheme for small rotations of the collective spin of an ensemble of particles. Our protocol makes use of two basic primitives for quantum memories, namely partial mapping of light onto an ensemble, and conversion of a collective spin excitation into light. The proposed scheme should be realizable with current technology, with potential applications to atomic clocks and magnetometry.
We demonstrate a way to prepare single photons with a temporal envelope that resembles the time reversal of photons from the spontaneous decay process. We use the photon pairs generated from a time-ordered atomic cascade decay: the detection of the first photon of the cascade is used as a herald for the ground-state transition resonant second photon. We show how the interaction of the heralding photon with an asymmetric Fabry-Perot cavity reverses the temporal shape of its twin photon from a decaying to a rising exponential envelope. This single photon is expected to be ideal for interacting w…
We demonstrate a heralded quantum memory based on mapping of a photon polarization state onto a single collective-spin excitation (magnon) shared between two spatially overlapped atomic ensembles. The polarization fidelity is measured by quantum state tomography to be above 90(2)% for any input polarization, which far exceeds the classical limit of 2/3. The process also constitutes a quantum non-destructive probe that detects and regenerates a photon without touching its - potentially undetermined - polarization.
We demonstrate a probabilistic entangling quantum gate between two distant trapped ytterbium ions. The gate is implemented between the hyperfine "clock" state atomic qubits and mediated by the interference of two emitted photons carrying frequency encoded qubits. Heralded by the coincidence detection of these two photons, the gate has an average fidelity of 90+-2%. This entangling gate together with single qubit operations is sufficient to generate large entangled cluster states for scalable quantum computing.
Quantum repeaters rely on an interfacing of flying qubits with quantum memories. The most common implementations include a narrowband single photon matched in bandwidth and central frequency to an atomic system. Previously, we demonstrated the compatibility of our versatile source of heralded single photons, which is based on parametric down-conversion in a triply-resonant whispering-gallery mode resonator, with alkaline transitions [Schunk et al., Optica 2, 773 (2015)]. In this paper, we analyze our source in terms of phase matching, available wavelength-tuning mechanisms, and applications to…
A simple, room-temperature, cavity- and vacuum-free interface for a photon-matter interaction is implemented. In the experiment, a heralded single photon generated by the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion is absorbed by an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy color centers. The broad absorption spectrum associated with the phonon sideband solves the mismatch problem of a narrow absorption bandwidth in a typical atomic medium and broadband spectrum of quantum light. The heralded single photon source is tunable in the spectral range 452-575 nm, which overlaps well with the absorption spe…
We report on experiments demonstrating the reversible mapping of heralded single photons to long lived collective optical atomic excitations stored in a Pr$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal. A cavity-enhanced spontaneous down-conversion source is employed to produce widely non-degenerate narrow-band ($\approx 2\,\mathrm{MHz}$) photon-pairs. The idler photons, whose frequency is compatible with telecommunication optical fibers, are used to herald the creation of the signal photons, compatible with the Pr$^{3+}$ transition. The signal photons are stored and retrieved using the atomic frequency comb pr…
We present a quantum repeater scheme based on the recently proposed qubit amplifier [N. Gisin, S. Pironio and N. Sangouard, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 070501 (2010)]. It relies on a on-demand entangled-photon pair source which uses on-demand single-photon sources, linear optical elements and atomic ensembles. Interestingly, the imperfections affecting the states created from this source, caused e.g. by detectors with non-unit efficiencies, are systematically purified from an entanglement swapping operation based on a two-photon detection. This allows the distribution of entanglement over very long …
Incoherent scattering of photons off two remote atoms with a Lambda-level structure is used as a basic Young-type interferometer to herald long-lived entanglement of an arbitrary degree. The degree of entanglement, as measured by the concurrence, is found to be tunable by two easily accessible experimental parameters. Fixing one of them to certain values unveils an analog to the Malus' law. An estimate of the variation in the degree of entanglement due to uncertainties in an experimental realization is given.
Quantum logic gates for photonic qubits can be implemented using the quantum Zeno effect based on strong two-photon absorption. The fidelity of quantum Zeno gates of this kind may be substantially reduced by photon loss. Heralding on those outcomes in which both of the logical qubits emerge from the Zeno gate can increase the fidelity at the expense of a limited success rate (P.M. Leung et al., Phys. Rev. A 74, 062325 (2006)). We analyze the performance of heralded quantum Zeno gates by solving Schrodinger's equation for a system of photons coupled to three-level atoms. This approach identifie…
We demonstrate the storage and manipulation of narrowband heralded single photons from a cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) source in the atomic quantum memory based on electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that nonclassical correlations are preserved between the heralding and the retrieved photons after storage process. By varying the intensity of the coupling field during retrieval process, we further demonstrate that the waveform or bandwidth of the single photons can be manipulated and the nonclassical correlation between the photon pairs can be even e…
Quantum-mechanically correlated (entangled) states of many particles are of interest in quantum information, quantum computing and quantum metrology. Metrologically useful entangled states of large atomic ensembles have been experimentally realized, but these states display Gaussian spin distribution functions with a non-negative Wigner function. Non-Gaussian entangled states have been produced in small ensembles of ions, and very recently in large atomic ensembles. Here, we generate entanglement in a large atomic ensemble via the interaction with a very weak laser pulse; remarkably, the detec…
Harnessing nonlinearities strong enough to allow two single photons to interact with one another is not only a fascinating challenge but is central to numerous advanced applications in quantum information science. Currently, all known approaches are extremely challenging although a few have led to experimental realisations with attenuated classical laser light. This has included cross-phase modulation with weak classical light in atomic ensembles and optical fibres, converting incident laser light into a non-classical stream of photon or Rydberg blockades as well as all-optical switches with a…
Photon-based quantum information processing promises new technologies including optical quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and distributed quantum networks. Polarization-encoded photons at telecommunication wavelengths provide a compelling platform for practical realization of these technologies. However, despite important success towards building elementary components compatible with this platform, including sources of entangled photons, efficient single photon detectors, and on-chip quantum circuits, a missing element has been atomic quantum memory that directly allows for reversible m…
Quantum entanglement is of central importance to quantum computing, quantum metrology, quantum information as well as the nature of quantum physics. Quantum theory does not prevent entanglement from being created and observed in macroscopic physical systems, in reality however, the accessible scale of entanglement is still very limited due to decoherence effects. Recently, entanglement has been observed among atoms from thousands to millions level in extremely low-temperature and well-isolated systems. Here, we create multipartite entanglement of billions of motional atoms in a quantum memory …
Quantum phase transitions are usually studied in terms of Hermitian Hamiltonians. However, cold-atom experiments are intrinsically non-Hermitian due to spontaneous decay. Here, we show that non-Hermitian systems exhibit quantum phase transitions that are beyond the paradigm of Hermitian physics. We consider the non-Hermitian XY model, which can be implemented using three-level atoms with spontaneous decay. We exactly solve the model in one dimension and show that there is a quantum phase transition from short-range order to quasi-long-range order despite the absence of a continuous symmetry in…
We interface a spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) crystal and a cold atomic ensemble and demonstrate a highly efficient quantum memory through polarization-encoded single-photon qubits. Specifically, narrowband heralded single photons from a cavity-enhanced SPDC source is stored using cold atomic ensemble, with ~70% storage-and-retrieval efficiency and ~10$μ$s storage time at 50% efficiency. To prevent the degradation after storage, we also manipulate the single-photon wave profile so that the retrieved non-classical nature of single photon is preserved. On the other hand, the dual-…
We report on the quantum storage of a heralded frequency-multiplexed single photon in an integrated laser-written rare-earth doped waveguide. The single photon contains 15 discrete frequency modes separated by 261 MHz and spaning across 4 GHz. It is obtained from a non-degenerate photon pair created via cavity-enhanced spontaneous down conversion, where the heralding photon is at telecom wavelength and the heralded photon is at 606 nm. The frequency-multimode photon is stored in a praseodymium-doped waveguide using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, by creating multiple combs within the i…
Heralded Free-Electron Writing of the Most Subradiant State in an Atomic Array
School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University（武汉大学物理科学与技术学院）；Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg（埃尔朗根-纽伦堡弗里德里希·亚历山大大学物理系）；Wuhan Institute of Quantum Technology（武汉量子技术研究院）
Large-scale quantum networks will employ telecommunication-wavelength photons to exchange quantum information between remote measurement, storage, and processing nodes via fibre-optic channels. Quantum memories compatible with telecommunication-wavelength photons are a key element towards building such a quantum network. Here, we demonstrate the storage and retrieval of heralded 1532 nm-wavelength photons using a solid-state waveguide quantum memory. The heralded photons are derived from a photon-pair source that is based on parametric down-conversion, and our quantum memory is based on a 6 GH…
Heralded entanglement between distant quantum memories is the key resource for quantum networks. Based on quantum repeater protocols, these networks will facilitate efficient large-scale quantum communication and distributed quantum computing. However, despite vast efforts, long-distance fibre based network links have not been realized yet. Here we present results demonstrating heralded entanglement between two independent, remote single-atom quantum memories generated over fibre links with a total length up to 33 km. To overcome the attenuation losses in the long optical fibres of photons ini…
To realize a quantum network based on quantum entanglement swapping, bright and completely autonomous sources are essentially required. Here, we experimentally demonstrate Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) quantum interference between two independent bright photon pairs generated via the spontaneous four-wave mixing in Doppler-broadened ladder-type 87Rb atoms. Bright autonomous heralded single photons are operated in a continuous-wave (CW) mode with no synchronization or supplemental filters. The four-fold photon coincidence counts per hour correspond to 5000 events for a temporal range of 10 ns, one order…
A new approach to efficient quantum computation with probabilistic gates is proposed and analyzed in both a local and non-local setting. It combines heralded gates previously studied for atom or atom-like qubits with logical encoding from linear optical quantum computation in order to perform high fidelity quantum gates across a quantum network. The error-detecting properties of the heralded operations ensure high fidelity while the encoding makes it possible to correct for failed attempts such that deterministic and high-quality gates can be achieved. Importantly, this is robust to photon los…
Nowadays the most intriguing features of wave particle complementarity of single photon is exemplified by the famous Wheeler's delayed choice experiment in linear optics, nuclear magnetic resonance and integrated photonic device systems. Studying the wave particle behavior in light and matter interaction at single photon level is challenging and interesting, which gives how single photons complement in light and matter interaction. Here, we demonstrate a Wheeler's delayed choice experiment in an interface of light and atomic memory, in which the cold atomic memory makes the heralded single pho…
Emission from a resonantly excited quantum emitter is a fascinating research topic within quantum optics and a useful source for different types of quantum light fields. The resonance spectrum consists of a single spectral line below saturation of a quantum emitter which develops into a triplet at powers above saturation of the emitter. The spectral properties of the triplet strongly depends on pump power and detuning of the excitation laser. The three closely spaced photon channels from the resonance fluorescence have different photon statistical signatures. We present a detailed photon-stati…
Long-lived telecom-heralded single-photon storage in an absorptive spin-rephased quantum memory
ICFO - Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology（光子科学研究所，巴塞罗那科学技术研究院）；ICREA – Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats（加泰罗尼亚高级研究学院）
