We present a direct measurement of the spatiotemporal coherence of parametric down-conversion in the range of negative group-velocity dispersion. In this case, the frequency-angular spectra are ring-shaped and temporal coherence is coupled to spatial coherence. Correspondingly, the lack of coherence due to spatial displacement can be compensated with the introduction of time delay. We show a simple technique, based on a modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer, which allowed us to measure time coherence and near-field space coherence simultaneously, with complete control of both variables. This technique will be also suitable for the measurement of second-order coherence, where the main applications are related to the two-photon spectroscopy.
In most configurations aimed at generating entangled photons based on spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), the generated pairs of photons are required to be entangled in only one degree of freedom. Any distinguishing information coming from the other degrees of freedom that characterize the photon should be suppressed to avoid correlations with the degree of freedom of interest. However, this suppression is not always possible. Here, we show how the frequency information available affects the purity of the two-photon state in space, revealing a correlation between the frequency and t…
A detailed analysis of the stimulated parametric down-conversion (PDC) process is performed to investigate the effects of the spatiotemporal degrees of freedom. The analysis provides information that would be useful for PDC-based metrology applications. Using a Wigner functional approach, we obtain the parametric down-converted state as the Bogoliubov transformed input state, in terms of Bogoliubov kernel functions. The result is used to consider the case for a coherent state seeding stimulated PDC. We also compute the background which is obtained from spontaneous PDC.
The nonlinear photon-photon interaction mediated by a single two-level atom is studied theoretically based on a one-dimensional model of the field-atom interaction. This model allows us to determine the effects of an atomic nonlinearity on the spatiotemporal coherence of a two photon state. Specifically, the complete two photon output wave function can be obtained for any two photon input wave function. It is shown that the quantum interference between the components of the output state associated with different interaction processes causes bunching and anti-bunching in the two photon statisti…
The resource theory of coherence studies the operational value of superpositions in quantum technologies. A key question in this theory concerns the efficiency of manipulation and inter-conversion of the resource. Here we solve this question completely for qubit states by determining the optimal probabilities for mixed state conversions via stochastic incoherent operations. Extending the discussion to distributed scenarios, we introduce and address the task of assisted incoherent state conversion where the process is enhanced by making use of correlations with a second party. Building on these…
Coherence properties of the down-converted beams generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion are investigated in detail using an iCCD camera. Experimental results are compared with those from a theoretical model developed for pulsed pumping with a Gaussian transverse profile. The results allow to tailor the shape of correlation area of the signal and idler photons using pump-field and crystal parameters. As an example, splitting of a correlation area caused by a two-peak pump-field spectrum is experimentally studied.
We establish a set of resource conversion relationships between quantum coherence and multipartite entanglement in many-body systems, where the operational measures of resource cost and distillation are focused. Under the multipartite incoherent operation, the initial coherence of single-party system bounds the maximal amounts of corresponding operational entanglement in an arbitrary bipartite partition as well as the genuine multipartite entanglement in many-body systems. Furthermore, the converted multipartite entanglement can be transferred to its subsystems and restored to coherence of a s…
We experimentally investigate problems of one-shot coherence distillation [Regula, Fang, Wang, and Adesso, Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 010401 (2018)]. Based on a set of optical devices, we design a type of strictly incoherent operation (SIO), which is applicable in high-dimensional cases and can be applied to accomplish the transformations from higher-dimensional states to lower-dimensional states. Furthermore, a relatively complete process of the one-shot coherence distillation is experimentally demonstrated for three- and four-dimensional input states. Experimental data reveal an interesting resul…
We report on quantum frequency conversion of near-infrared photons from a wavelength of 854nm to the telecommunication O-band at 1310nm with 8% overall conversion efficiency. Entangled photon pairs at 854nm are generated via type-II spontaneous parametric down conversion. One photon is mixed with a strong pump field in a nonlinear ridge waveguide for its conversion to 1310nm. We demonstrate preservation of first and second order coherence of the photons in the conversion process. Based on this we infer the coherence function of the two-photon state and compare it with the actual measured one. …
Photonic quantum technology relies on efficient sources of coherent single photons, the ideal carriers of quantum information. Heralded single photons from parametric down-conversion can approximate on-demand single photons to a desired degree, with high spectral purities achieved through group-velocity matching and tailored crystal nonlinearities. Here we propose crystal nonlinearity engineering techniques with sub-coherence-length domains. We first introduce a combination of two existing methods: a deterministic approach with coherence-length domains and probabilistic domain-width annealing.…
We experimentally demonstrate a programmable parametric mode sorter of high-dimensional signals in a composite spatiotemporal Hilbert space through mode-selective quantum frequency up-conversion. As a concrete example and with quantum communication applications in mind, we consider the Laguerre-Gaussian and Hermite-Gaussian modes as the spatial and temporal state basis for the signals, respectively. By modulating the spatiotemporal profiles of the up-conversion pump, we demonstrate the faithful selection of single photons in those modes and their superposition modes. Our results show an improv…
The correlation properties of the pump field in spontaneous parametric down-conversion are crucial in determining the degree of entanglement of generated signal and idler photons. We find theoretically that continuous-variable entanglement of the transverse positions and momenta of these photons can be achieved only if the coherence of the pump beam is sufficiently high. The positions of signal and idler photons are found to be correlated, even for an incoherent pump. However, the momenta of the signal and idler photons are not anti-correlated, even though transverse momentum is conserved.
We show that in parametric down-conversion the coherence properties of a temporally partially coherent pump field get entirely transferred to the down-converted entangled two-photon field. Under the assumption that the frequency-bandwidth of the down-converted signal-idler photons is much larger than that of the pump, we derive the temporal coherence functions for the down-converted field, for both infinitely-fast and time-averaged detection schemes. We show that in each scheme the coherence function factorizes into two separate coherence functions with one of them carrying the entire statisti…
The remote control of coherence is a crucial step for its application in quantum computation. We investigate the maximal steered coherence (MSC) and its conversion to entanglement in multiple bosonic reservoirs. It is shown that the MSC decays with time in the Markovian regime and behaves as damped oscillations in the non-Markovian regime. The MSC can also be connected directly to the strength of non-Markovianity, through which we show that it can be noticeably enhanced by taking full advantage of the non-Markovian effects. Besides, the MSC can be converted completely to entanglement via optim…
Strong correlations in two conjugate variables are the signature of quantum entanglement and have played a key role in the development of modern physics. Entangled photons have become a standard tool in quantum information and foundations. An impressive example is position-momentum entanglement of photon pairs, explained heuristically through the correlations implied by a common birth zone and momentum conservation. However, these arguments entirely neglect the importance of the `quantumness', i.e. coherence, of the driving force behind the generation mechanism. We study theoretically and expe…
Quantum resource theories seek to quantify sources of non-classicality that bestow quantum technologies their operational advantage. Chief among these are studies of quantum correlations and quantum coherence. The former to isolate non-classicality in the correlations between systems, the latter to capture non-classicality of quantum superpositions within a single physical system. Here we present a scheme that cyclically inter-converts between these resources without loss. The first stage converts coherence present in an input system into correlations with an ancilla. The second stage harnesse…
Imaginarity as a Resource within Quantum Coherence: Geometric Decomposition and Operational Conversion
School of Science, East China University of Technology（华东交通大学理学院）；School of Computer and Computing Science, Hangzhou City University（杭州城市大学计算机与计算科学学院）；School of Mathematical Sciences, Capital Normal University（首都师范大学数学科学学院）
The intensity transverse profile of the light produced in the process of stimulated down-conversion is derived. A quantum-mechanical treatment is used. We show that the angular spectrum of the pump laser can be transferred to the stimulated down-converted beam, so that images can also be transferred from the pump to the down-converted beam. We also show that the transfer can occur from the stimulating beam to the down-converted one. Finally, we study the process of diffraction through an arbitrarily shaped screen. For the special case of a double-slit, the interference pattern is explicitly ob…
One of the main problems in any quantum resource theory is the characterization of the conversions between resources by means of the free operations of the theory. In this work, we advance on this characterization within the quantum coherence resource theory by introducing the generalized coherence vector of an arbitrary quantum state. The generalized coherence vector is a probability vector that can be interpreted as a concave roof extension of the pure states coherence vector. We show that it completely characterizes the notions of being incoherent, as well as being maximally coherent. Moreo…
The resource theory of coherence studies the operational value of superpositions in quantum technologies. A key question in this theory concerns the efficiency of manipulation and interconversion of this resource. Here we solve this question completely for mixed states of qubits by determining the optimal probabilities for mixed state conversions via stochastic incoherent operations. This implies new lower bounds on the asymptotic state conversion rate between mixed single-qubit states which in some cases is proven to be tight. Furthermore, we obtain the minimal distillable coherence for given…
The coherence resource theory needs to study the operational value and efficiency which can be broadly formulated as the question: when can one coherent state be converted into another under incoherent operations. We answer this question completely for one-mode continuous-variable systems by characterizing conversion of coherent Gaussian states under incoherent Gaussian operations in terms of their first and second moments. The no-go theorem of purification of coherent Gaussian states is also built. The structure of incoherent Gaussian operations of two-mode continuous-variable systems is disc…
Using on-demand coherence conversion via optical locking in conventional stimulated (three-pulse) photon echoes, ultralong, ultraefficient photon storage has been observed in a rare-earth Pr3+ doped Y2SiO5, where storage time is several orders of magnitude longer and retrieval efficiency is enhanced by fifty times. Compared with the same method applied to two-pulse photon echoes for a rephasing halt, use of spectral grating in the stimulated photon echoes offers a phase-independent coherence conversion between optical and spin states. Eventually an ultralong spin population decay-dependent pho…
Quantum information is a common topic of research in many areas of quantum physics, such as quantum communication and quantum computation, as well as quantum thermodynamics. It can be encoded in discrete or continuous variable systems, with the appropriated formalism to treat it generally depending on the quantum system to be chosen. For continuous variable systems, it is convenient to employ a quasi-probability function to represent quantum states and non-classical signatures. The Wigner function is a special quasi-probability function because it allows to describe a quantum system in the pha…
We report a coherence-preserving photon frequency down-conversion experiment based on difference-frequency generation in a periodically poled Lithium niobate waveguide, at the single-photon level. The coherence of the process has been demonstrated by measuring the phase coherence of pseudo single-photon time-bin qubits after frequency conversion with an interference visibility of > 96 %. This interface could be of interest for quantum repeater based hybrid networks.
Detailed investigations of single photon 1st-order interferences of separated emitters allow for analyzing the role of the mode function in quantum optics. In an earlier Young's double slit experiment using a higher spatial light mode some possibly new aspects of complementarity were demonstrated. Here the chances of using induced coherence in spontaneous down conversion (SPDC) are experimentally investigated. SPDC in a nonlinear crystal generates two single photons (signal and idler) with random, but conjugated phases. Thus no interference between them occurs. But coherence can be induced bet…
Deterministic quantum computation with one qubit (DQC1) is iconic in highlighting that exponential quantum speedup may be achieved with negligible entanglement. Its discovery catalyzed heated study of general quantum resources, and various conjectures regarding their role in DQC1's performance advantage. Coherence and discord are prominent candidates, respectively characterizing non-classicality within localized and correlated systems. Here we realize DQC1 within a superconducting system, engineered such that the dynamics of coherence and discord can be tracked throughout its execution. We exp…
We derive analytic solution for pulsed frequency conversion based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or maximum coherence in resonant atomic vapors. In particular drive-field and coherence depletion are taken into account. The solutions are obtained with the help of an Hamiltonian approach which in the adiabatic limit allows to reduce the full set of Maxwell-Bloch equations to simple canonical equations of Hamiltonian mechanics for the field variables. Adiabatic integrals of motion can be obtained and general expressions for the spatio-temporal evolution of field intensities der…
High-dimensional coherence to entanglement transduction under canonical noise
Qatar Center for Quantum Computing, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University（卡塔尔量子计算中心，科学与工程学院，哈利法大学）；Institute of Automation and Electrometry SBRAS（俄罗斯科学院西伯利亚分院自动化与电磁学研究所）
Practical implementations of quantum information-theoretic applications rely on phase coherences between systems. These coherences are disturbed by misalignment between phase references. Quantum states carrying phase-asymmetry act as resources to counteract this misalignment. In this paper, we construct protocols for interconverting these resources by first estimating the misalignment. Our method achieves sublinear, but otherwise arbitrarily high, asymptotic rate of conversion of pure resource states to mixed ones. No other method is known for asymptotic pure-to-mixed state conversion. Our met…
Coherence can be induced or stimulated in parametric down-conversion using two or three crystals when, for example, the idler modes of the crystals are aligned. Previous experiments with induced coherence [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 053601 (2015)] focused on which-path information and the role of vacuum fields in realizing complementarity via reduced visibility in single-photon interference. Here we describe experiments comparing induced and stimulated coherence. Different single-photon interference experiments were performed by blocking one of the pump beams in a three-crystal setup. Each counted …
We study the tuning curve of entangled photons generated by type-0 spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a periodically poled KTP crystal. We demonstrate the X-shaped spatiotemporal structure of the spectrum by means of measurements and numerical simulations. Experiments for different pump waists, crystal temperatures, and crystal lengths are in good agreement with numerical simulations.
We study the properties of bi-squeezed tripartite Gaussian states created by two spontaneous parametric down-conversion processes that share a common idler. We give a complete description of the quantum correlations across of all partitions, as well as of the genuine multipartite entanglement, obtaining analytical expressions for most of the quantities of interest. We find that the state contains genuine tripartite entanglement, in addition to the bipartite entanglement among the modes that are directly squeezed. We also investigate the effect of homodyne detection of the photons in the common…
A new scheme for infrared generation without population inversion between subbands in quantum-well and quantum-dot lasers is presented and documented by detailed calculations. The scheme is based on the simultaneous generation at three frequencies: optical lasing at the two interband transitions which take place simultaneously, in the same active region, and serve as the coherent drive for the IR field. This mechanism for frequency down-conversion does not rely upon any ad hoc assumptions of long-lived coherences in the semiconductor active medium. And it should work efficiently at room temper…
A recent Brief Report [Phys. Rev. A 79, 035801 (2009)] investigates two figures of merit for heralded photon sources based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion with a continuous pump, namely the time-averaged temporal coherence between the signal and idler beams and the time-averaged conditioned second-order degree of coherence for photons in the heralded arm. However, contrary to what is claimed, no one-arm second-order effect is actually measured.
Experimental challenges and prospects for quantum-enhanced energy conversion: Stationary Fano coherence in V-type qutrits interacting with polarized incoherent radiation
Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-INO)（意大利国家光学研究所）；European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Università degli Studi di Firenze（佛罗伦萨大学非线性光谱学欧洲实验室）；Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Firenze（佛罗伦萨大学物理与天文学系）；Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISC)（意大利复杂系统研究所）
We describe spontaneous parametric down-conversion experiments in which induced coherence across two coupled interferometers results in high-visibility single-photon interference. Opening additional photon channels allows "which-path" information and reduces the visibility of the singlephoton interference, but results in nearly perfect visibility when photons are counted in coincidence. A simplified theoretical model accounts for these complementary observations and attributes them directly to the relations among the vacuum fields at the different crystals.
A quantum Matter-Photonics framework is adapted to help scrutinize chemical reaction mechanisms and used to explore a process mapped from chemical tree topological model. The chemical concept of bond knitting/breaking is reformulated via partitioned base sets leading to an abstract and general quantum presentation. Pivotal roles are assigned to entanglement, coherence,de-coherence and Feshbach resonance quantum states that permit apprehend gating states in conversion processes. A view from above in the state energy eigenvalue ladder, belonging to full system spectra complement the standard vie…
We develop and experimentally verify a theory of Type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in media with inhomogeneous distributions of second-order nonlinearity. As a special case, we explore interference effects from SPDC generated in a cascade of two bulk crystals separated by an air gap. The polarization quantum-interference pattern is found to vary strongly with the spacing between the two crystals. This is found to be a cooperative effect due to two mechanisms: the chromatic dispersion of the medium separating the crystals and spatiotemporal effects which arise from the inclu…
The first direct measurement of photon bunching (g2 correlation function) in one output arm of a spontaneous-parametric-down-conversion source operated with a continuous pump laser in the single-photon regime is demonstrated. The result is in agreement with the statistics of a thermal field of the same coherence length, and shows the feasibility of investigating photon statistics with compact cw-pumped sources. Implications for entanglement-based quantum cryptography are discussed.
The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect lies at the heart of many emerging quantum technologies whose performance can be significantly enhanced with increasing numbers of entangled modes one could measure and thus utilize. Photon pairs generated through the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion are known to be entangled in a vast number of modes in the various degrees of freedom (DOF) the photons possess such as time, energy, and momentum, etc. Due to limitations in detection technology and techniques, often only one such DOFs can be effectively measured at a time, resulting in much…
Frequency conversion between microwave and optical photons is a key enabling technology to create links between superconducting quantum processors and to realize distributed quantum networks. We propose a microwave-optical transduction platform based on long-coherence-time superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities coupled to electro-optic optical cavities to mitigate the loss mechanisms that limit the attainment of high conversion efficiency. In the design, we optimize the microwave-optical field overlap and optical coupling losses, while achieving long microwave and optical photon lifeti…
We study degenerate three photon down conversion as a potential scheme for generating nonclassical states of light which exhibit clear signatures of phase space interference. The Wigner function representing these states contains an interference pattern manifesting quantum coherence between distinct phase space components, and has substantial areas of negativity. We develop an analytical description of the interference pattern, which demonstrates how the oscillations of the Wigner function are built up by the superposition principle. We analyze the impact of dissipation and pump fluctuations o…
We report an observation of a delayed all-optical routing/switching phenomenon based on ultraslow group velocity of light via nondegenerate four-wave mixing processes in a defected solid medium. Unlike previous demonstrations of enhanced four-wave mixing processes using the slow light effects, the present observation demonstrates a direct retrieval of the resonant Raman-pulse excited spin coherence into photon coherence through coherence conversion processes.
Single-photon sources (SPSs) are mainly characterized by the minimum value of their second-order coherence function, viz. their $g^{(2)}$ function. A precise measurement of $g^{(2)}$ may, however, require high time-resolution devices, in whose absence, only time-averaged measurements are accessible. These time-averaged measures, standing alone, do not carry sufficient information for proper characterization of SPSs. Here, we develop a theory, corroborated by an experiment, that allows us to scrutinize the coherence properties of heralded SPSs that rely on continuous-wave parametric down-conver…
The spectral-temporal correlation and the correlation time of a biphoton wavepacket generated in the process of parametric down-conversion (PDC), is of great importance for a broad range of quantum experiments. We utilise an integrated PDC source to generate biphotons with different types of spectral-temporal correlations and probe their respective correlation times. The outcomes confirms that the correlation time is independent of the coherence time of the pump light, and it is only determined by the waveguide length and its dispersion properties. Furthermore, we investigate the properties of…
We demonstrate optical coherence tomography based on an SU(1,1) nonlinear interferometer with high-gain parametric down-conversion. For imaging and sensing applications, this scheme promises to outperform previous experiments working at low parametric gain, since higher photon fluxes provide lower integration times for obtaining high-quality images. In this way one can avoid using single-photon detectors or CCD cameras with very high sensitivities, and standard spectrometers can be used instead. Other advantages are: higher sensitivity to small loss and amplification before detection, so that …
Single photons produced by fundamentally dissimilar physical processes will in general not be indistinguishable. We show how photons produced from a quantum dot and by parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear crystal can be manipulated to be indistinguishable. The measured two-photon coalescence probability is 16%, and is limited by quantum-dot decoherence. Temporal filtering to the quantum dot coherence time and accounting for detector time response increases this to 61% while retaining 25% of the events. This technique can connect different elements in a scalable quantum network.
The generation of entangled photon pairs by parametric down--conversion from solid state CW lasers with small coherence time is theoretically and experimentally analyzed. We consider a compact and low-cost setup based on a two-crystal scheme with Type-I phase matching. We study the effect of the pump coherence time over the entangled state visibility and over the violation of Bell's inequality, as a function of the crystals length. The full density matrix is reconstructed by quantum tomography. The proposed theoretical model is verified using a purification protocol based on a compensation cry…
We compute the output of multimode cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) for sub-threshold, but otherwise arbitrary, gain. We find analytic Bogoliubov transformations that allow us to calculate arbitrary field correlation functions, including the second-order intensity correlation function $G^{(2)}(T)$. The results show evidence of increased coherence due to stimulated SPDC. We extend an earlier model [Lu and Ou, Phys. Rev. A, 62, 033804 (2000)] to arbitrary gain and finesse, and show the extension gives accurate results in most scenarios. The results will allow simple,…
Induced coherence in parametric down-conversion between two coherently pumped nonlinear crystals that share a common idler mode can be used as an imaging technique. Based on the interference between the two signal modes of the crystals, an image can be reconstructed. By obtaining an expression for the interference pattern that is valid in both the low- and the high-gain regimes of parametric down-conversion, we show how the coherence of the light emitted by the two crystals can be controlled. With our comprehensive analysis we provide deeper insight into recent discussions about the applicatio…
