Quantum networks enable a broad range of practical and fundamental applications spanning distributed quantum computing to sensing and metrology. A cornerstone of such networks is an interface between telecom photons and quantum memories. Here we demonstrate a novel approach based on cavity optomechanics that utilizes the susceptibility of spin qubits to strain. We use it to control electron spins of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond with photons in the 1550 nm telecommunications wavelength band. This method does not involve qubit optical transitions and is insensitive to spectral diffusion. Furthermore, our approach can be applied to solid-state qubits in a wide variety of materials, expanding the toolbox for quantum information processing.
Microwave to optical transduction has received a great deal of interest from the cavity optomechanics community as a landmark application for electro-optomechanical systems. In this Letter, we demonstrate a novel transducer that combines high-frequency mechanical motion and a microwave cavity for the first time. The system consists of a 3D microwave cavity and a gallium arsenide optomechanical crystal, which has been placed in the microwave electric field maximum. This allows the microwave cavity to actuate the gigahertz-frequency mechanical breathing mode in the optomechanical crystal through…
We propose a novel scheme for realizing single-photon blockade in a weakly driven hybrid cavity optomechanical system consisting of a nonlinear photonic crystal. Sub-Poissonian statistics is realized even when the single-photon optomechanical coupling strength is smaller than the decay rate of the optical mode. The scheme relaxes the requirement of strong coupling for photon blockade in optomechanical systems. It is shown that photon blockade could be generated at the telecommunication wavelength.
Photon statistics in a weakly driven optomechanical photonic crystal cavity, with Kerr-type nonlinearity, is analyzed both analytically and numerically. Single-photon blockade effect is demonstrated via calculations of the zero-time-delay second-order correlation function $g^{(2)}(0)$. The analytical results obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation are in complete conformity with the results obtained through numerical solution of the quantum master equation. The experimental feasibility with state-of-the-art device parameters is discussed. It is observed that photon blockade could be gener…
We propose and characterize a quantum interface between telecommunication wavelengths (1311 nm) and an Yb-dipole transition (369.5 nm) based on a second order sum frequency process in a PPKTP waveguide. An external (internal) conversion efficiency above 5% (10%) is shown using classical bright light.
Telecom-Integrated Photonic Memory Operating Near the Mechanical Ground State
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China（电子科技大学）；Southwest Jiaotong University（西南交通大学）；Xihua University（西华大学）；Southwest Institute of Technical Physics（西南技术物理研究所）；University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）；Ministry of Education, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China（电子科技大学教育部量子物理与光量子信息重点实验室）；Institute of Electronics and Information Industry Technology of Kash（喀什电子信息产业技术研究所）
We describe a chip-scale, telecommunications-band frequency conversion interface designed for low-noise operation at wavelengths desirable for common single photon emitters. Four-wave mixing Bragg scattering in silicon nitride waveguides is used to demonstrate frequency upconversion and downconversion between the 980 nm and 1550 nm wavelength regions, with signal-to-background levels >10 and conversion efficiency of approximately -60 dB at low continuous wave input pump powers (<50 mW). Finite element simulations and the split-step Fourier method indicate that increased input powers of approxi…
Mechanical oscillators which respond to radiation pressure are a promising means of transferring quantum information between light and matter. Optical--mechanical state swaps are a key operation in this setting. Existing proposals for optomechanical state swap interfaces are only effective in the resolved sideband limit. Here, we show that it is possible to fully and deterministically exchange mechanical and optical states outside of this limit, in the common case that the cavity linewidth is larger than the mechanical resonance frequency. This high-bandwidth interface opens up a significantly…
Photons at telecom wavelength are the ideal choice for high density interconnects while solid state qubits in the microwave domain offer strong interactions for fast quantum logic. Here we present a general purpose, quantum-enabled interface between itinerant microwave and optical light. We use a pulsed electro-optic transducer at millikelvin temperatures to demonstrate nanosecond timescale control of the converted complex mode amplitude with an input added noise of $N^{oe}_\textrm{in} = 0.16^{+0.02}_{-0.01}$ ($N^{eo}_\textrm{in} = 1.11^{+0.15}_{-0.07}$) quanta for the microwave-to-optics (rev…
Quantum teleportation, the faithful transfer of an unknown input state onto a remote quantum system, is a key component in long distance quantum communication protocols and distributed quantum computing. At the same time, high frequency nano-optomechanical systems hold great promise as nodes in a future quantum network, operating on-chip at low-loss optical telecom wavelengths with long mechanical lifetimes. Recent demonstrations include entanglement between two resonators, a quantum memory and microwave to optics transduction. Despite these successes, quantum teleportation of an optical input…
We prove feasibility of high-fidelity pulsed optomechanical interface based on all-optical presqueezing of non-Gaussian quantum states of light before they enter the optomechanical system. We demonstrate that feasible presqueezing of optical states effectively increases the low noise transfer of them to mechanical oscillator. It allows one to surpass the limit necessary to transfer highly nonclassical states with negative Wigner function. In particular, we verify that with this help single photon states of light can be efficiently turned to single phonon states of mechanical oscillator, keepin…
We propose a protocol to realize fast high-fidelity quantum state transfer between distant optomechanical interfaces connected by a continuum waveguide. The scheme consists of three steps: two accelerating adiabatic processes joined by a population conversion process. In comparison to the traditional adiabatic technique, our method reaches a higher transfer fidelity with a shorter time. Numerical results show that the fidelity of this transfer scheme in the dissipative system mainly depends on the protocol speed and the coupling strength of the waveguide and cavities. Assisted by inverting the…
We perform the first demonstration of a quantum interface for frequency down-conversion from visible to telecommunication bands by using a nonlinear crystal. This interface has a potential to work over wide bandwidths, leading to a high-speed interface of frequency conversion. We achieve the conversion of a pico-second visible photon at 780 nm to a 1522-nm photon, and observe that the conversion process retain entanglement between the down-converted photon and another photon.
Entanglement is often the key element in quantum information protocols. Here, we present schemes to generate robust photon entanglement in optomechanical interfaces via quantum interference. The schemes explore the excitation of the Bogoliubov dark mode and the destructive quantum interference between the bright modes of the interface, similar to electromagnetically induced transparency, to eliminate leading-order effects of the mechanical noise. Both continuous-variable and discrete-state entanglements that are robust against the mechanical noise can be achieved.
Solid-state spins such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center are promising platforms for large-scale quantum networks. Despite the optical interface of NV center system, however, the significant attenuation of its zero-phonon-line photon in optical fiber prevents the network extended to long distances. Therefore a telecom-wavelength photon interface would be essential to reduce the photon loss in transporting quantum information. Here we propose an efficient scheme for coupling telecom photon to NV center ensembles mediated by rare-earth doped crystal. Specifically, we proposed protocols for high fi…
We combine matter-wave interferometry and cavity optomechanics to propose a coherent matter--light interface based on mechanical motion at the quantum level. We demonstrate a mechanism that is able to transfer non-classical features imprinted on the state of a matter-wave system to an optomechanical device, transducing them into distinctive interference fringes. This provides a reliable tool for the inference of quantum coherence in the particle beam. Moreover, we discuss how our system allows for intriguing perspectives, paving the way to the construction of a device for the encoding of quant…
Hybrid quantum systems are essential for the realization of distributed quantum networks. In particular, piezo-mechanics operating at typical superconducting qubit frequencies features low thermal excitations, and offers an appealing platform to bridge superconducting quantum processors and optical telecommunication channels. However, integrating superconducting and optomechanical elements at cryogenic temperatures with sufficiently strong interactions remains a tremendous challenge. Here, we report an integrated superconducting cavity piezo-optomechanical platform where 10-GHz phonons are res…
Bright Telecom Spin-Photon Interface in Silicon Photonics
Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano-Bicocca（米兰比可卡大学材料科学系）；BiQute；Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics（电子与应用物理研究所）；Joint Quantum Institute（联合量子研究所）；University of Maryland（马里兰大学）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering（电气与计算机工程系）；Department of Physics（物理系）；Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology（蔚山科学技术院）
A low-loss telecom-band nanofiber cavity for interfacing Yb atomic qubits
Nanofiber Quantum Technologies, Inc. (NanoQT)（纳米光纤量子技术股份有限公司）；Department of Applied Physics, Waseda University（早稻田大学应用物理系）；RIKEN center for Quantum Computing (RQC)（理化学研究所量子计算中心）
We propose a universal and nontrivial scheme to transmit and generate an arbitrary W state for multiple cavities via an optomechanical interface. In transmission and generation processes, high fidelity can be obtained by optimizing the time-dependent coupling strengths between the cavities and the mechanical resonator. With a group of optimal couplings, an arbitrary entangled W state in the multipartite system can be mapped to the pulse shape of a single photon and transmitted out of the system. In the time reversal process, an arbitrary W state can be generated with an incident single photon …
We report a single-stage bi-directional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped ion qubits in a long-distance quantum network. Our interface converts photons between the Sr+ emission wavelength at 422 nm and the telecoms C-band to enable low-loss transmission over optical fiber. We have achieved both up- and down-conversion at the single photon level with efficiencies of 9.4% and 1.1% respectively. Furthermore we demonstrate noise levels that are low enough to allow for genuine quantum operation in the future.
The ground state cooling of Brillouin scattering optomechanical system is limited by defects in practical sample. In this paper, we propose a new compensatory cooling mechanism for Brillouin scattering optomechanical system with exceptional points (EPs). By using the EPs both in optical and mechanical modes, the limited cooling process is compensated effectively. The dual-EPs system, which is discovered in this work for the first time, can be induced by two defects with specific relative angles and has function of not only actively manipulating the coupling strength of optical modes but also t…
Using the Gaussian Rényi-2 entropy, we analyse the behaviour of two different aspects of quantum correlations (entanglement and quantum discord) in two optomechanical subsystems (optical and mechanical). We work in the resolved sideband and weak coupling regimes. In experimentally accessible parameters, we show that it is possible to create entanglement and quantum discord in the considered subsystems by quantum fluctuations transfer from either light to light or light to matter. We find that both mechanical and optical entanglement are strongly sensitive to thermal noises. In particular, we f…
The realization of a long-distance, distributed quantum network based on quantum memory nodes that are linked by photonic channels remains an outstanding challenge. We propose a quantum network node based on neutral alkali atoms coupled to nanophotonic crystal cavities that combines a long-lived memory qubit with a photonic interface at the telecom range, thereby enabling the long-distance distribution of entanglement over low loss optical fibers. We present a novel protocol for the generation of an atom-photon entangled state which uses telecom transitions between excited states of the alkali…
We have realized a hybrid optomechanical system by coupling ultracold atoms to a micromechanical membrane. The atoms are trapped in an optical lattice, which is formed by retro-reflection of a laser beam from the membrane surface. In this setup, the lattice laser light mediates an optomechanical coupling between membrane vibrations and atomic center-of-mass motion. We observe both the effect of the membrane vibrations onto the atoms as well as the backaction of the atomic motion onto the membrane. By coupling the membrane to laser-cooled atoms, we engineer the dissipation rate of the membrane.…
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering is a form of quantum correlations and its intrinsic asymmetry makes it distinct from entanglement and Bell nonlocality. We propose here a scheme for realizing one-way Gaussian steering of two electromagnetic fields mediated by a mechanical oscillator. We reveal that the steady-state one-way steering of the intracavity and output fields is obtainable with different cavity losses or strong mechanical damping. The conditions for achieving this asymmetric steering are found, and it shows that the steering is robust against thermal mechanical fluctuations. The…
In a quantum network, coherent emitters can be entangled over large distances using photonic channels. In solid-state devices, the required efficient light-emitter interface can be implemented by confining the light in nanophotonic structures. However, fluctuating charges and magnetic moments at the nearby interface then lead to spectral instability of the emitters. Here we avoid this limitation when enhancing the photon emission up to 70(12)-fold using a Fabry-Perot resonator with an embedded 19 micrometer thin crystalline membrane, in which we observe around 100 individual erbium emitters. I…
A hybrid interface of solid state single-photon sources and atomic quantum memories is a long sought-after goal in photonic quantum technologies. Here we demonstrate deterministic storage and retrieval of photons from a semiconductor quantum dot in an atomic ensemble quantum memory at telecommunications wavelengths. We store single photons from an InAs quantum dot in a high-bandwidth rubidium vapour based quantum memory, with a total internal memory efficiency of $(12.9 \pm 0.4) \%$. The signal-to-noise ratio of the retrieved photons is $18.2\pm 0.6$, limited only by detector dark counts. This…
The rapid development of quantum information processors has accelerated the demand for technologies that enable quantum networking. One promising approach uses mechanical resonators as an intermediary between microwave and optical fields. Signals from a superconducting, topological, or spin qubit processor can then be converted coherently to optical states at telecom wavelengths. However, current devices built from homogeneous structures suffer from added noise and small conversion efficiency. Combining advantageous properties of different materials into a heterogeneous design should allow for…
Entanglement between distant massive mechanical oscillators is of particular interest in quantum-enabled devices due to its potential applications in distributed quantum information processing. Here we propose how to achieve nonreciprocal remote entanglement between two spatially separated mechanical oscillators within a cascaded optomechanical configuration, where the two optomechanical resonators are indirectly coupled through a telecommunication fiber. We show that by selectively spinning the optomechanical resonators, one can break the time reversal symmetry of this compound system via Sag…
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…
High-speed long-range quantum communication requires combining frequency multiplexed photonic channels with quantum memories. We experimentally demonstrate an integrated quantum frequency conversion protocol that can convert between wavelength division multiplexing channels in the telecom range with an efficiency of $55\pm 8\%$ and a noise subtracted HOM dip visibility of 84.5%. This protocol is based on a cascaded second order nonlinear interaction and can be used to interface a broad spectrum of frequencies with narrowband quantum memories, or alternatively as a quantum optical transponder, …
Recent years have seen extraordinary progress in creating quantum states of mechanical oscillators, leading to great interest in potential applications for such systems in both fundamental as well as applied quantum science. One example is the use of these devices as transducers between otherwise disparate quantum systems. In this regard, a promising approach is to build integrated piezoelectric optomechanical devices, that are then coupled to microwave circuits. Optical absorption, low quality factors and other challenges have up to now prevented operation in the quantum regime, however. Here…
Artificial atoms in solids are leading candidates for quantum networks, scalable quantum computing, and sensing, as they combine long-lived spins with mobile and robust photonic qubits. The central requirements for the spin-photon interface at the heart of these systems are long spin coherence times and efficient spin-photon coupling at telecommunication wavelengths. Artificial atoms in silicon have a unique potential to combine the long coherence times of spins in silicon with telecommunication wavelength photons in the world's most advanced microelectronics and photonics platform. However, a…
In quantum communications, vortex photons can encode higher-dimensional quantum states and build high-dimensional communication networks (HDCNs). The interfaces that connect different wavelengths are significant in HDCNs. We construct a coherent orbital angular momentum (OAM) frequency bridge via difference frequency conversion in a nonlinear bulk crystal for HDCNs. Using a single resonant cavity, maximum quantum conversion efficiencies from visible to infrared are 36\%, 15\%, and 7.8\% for topological charges of 0,1, and 2, respectively. The average fidelity obtained using quantum state tomog…
We analyse a proposal that we have recently put forward for an interface between matter-wave and optomechanical technologies from the perspective of macroscopic quantumness. In particular, by making use of a measure of macroscopicity in quantum superpositions that is particularly well suited for continuous variables systems, we demonstrate the existence of working points for our interface at which a quantum mechanical superposition of genuinely mesoscopic states is achieved. Our proposal thus holds the potential to affirm itself as a viable atom-to-mechanics transducer of quantum coherences.
A telecom photon is a suitable information carrier in a fiber-based quantum network due to its lower transmission loss in fiber. Because of the paucity of suitable atomic system, usually the photon connecting different memories is in near infrared band, therefore the frequency conversion of the photon in and out of telecomband has to be required to realize the interface between the atomic-based memory and the photon-based carrier. In order for that, two atomic or other systems which could realize the frequency conversion have to be taken into account, and besides, one more atomic system as a s…
We investigate a hybrid quantum system consisting of a cavity optomechanical device optically coupled to an ultracold quantum gas. We show that the dispersive properties of the ultracold gas can be used to dramatically modify the optomechanical response of the mechanical resonator. We examine hybrid schemes wherein the mechanical resonator is coupled either to the motional or the spin degrees of freedom of the ultracold gas. In either case, we find an enhancement of more than two orders of magnitude in optomechanical cooling due to this hybrid interaction. Significantly, based on demonstrated …
Quantum optomechanical system serves as an interface for coupling between photons and phonons due to mechanical oscillations. We used the Heisenberg-Langevin approach under Markovian white noise approximation to study a quadratically coupled optomechanical system which contains a thin dielectric membrane quadratically coupled to the cavity field. A decorrelation method is employed to solve for a larger number of coupled equations. Transient mean numbers of cavity photons and phonons that provide dynamical behaviour are computed for different coupling regime. We have also obtained the two-boson…
