We demonstrate suppression and enhancement of spontaneous parametric down- conversion via quantum interference with two weak fields from a local oscillator (LO). Pairs of LO photons are observed to upconvert with high efficiency for appropriate phase settings, exhibiting an effective nonlinearity enhanced by at least 10 orders of magnitude. This constitutes a two-photon switch, and promises to be useful for a variety of nonlinear optical effects at the quantum level.
All-optical photonic devices are crucial for many important photonic technology and applications, ranging from optical communication to quantum information processing. Conventional design of all-optical devices is based on photon propagation and interference in real space, which may reply on large numbers of optical elements and are challenging for precise control. Here we propose a new route for engineering all-optical devices using photon internal degrees of freedom, which form photonic crystals in such synthetic dimensions for photon propagation and interference. We demonstrate this new des…
Photon-photon interactions are an essential requirement of quantum photonic information processing. One way to generate these interactions is to utilize an atom strongly coupled to an optical cavity. This system exhibits the photon blockade effect which enables single photon switching and creation of non-classical light. But the nonlinear effects enabled by this system suffer from a fundamental time-bandwidth constraint. For the the simple case of splitting an input pulse of two indistinguishable photons, this constraint imposes a limit on the efficiency of routing photons to different output …
Storage time extension in photon echoes using optical deshelving via a robust spin state has been investigated for absorption-dependent optical leakage, where an incomplete population transfer, even by a πoptical pulse obviates the phase recovery condition of the deshelving. We analyze an optical depth-dependent echo leakage mechanism in the storage time extended photon echoes for the usage of optical deshelving to photon echo-based quantum memories.
We consider the entanglement between two internal states of a single atom and two photon number states describing either the vaccum or a single photon and thus containing, on average, less than one photon. We show that this intriguing entanglement can be characterized through substantial violations of a Bell inequality by performing homodyne detections on the optical mode. We present the experimental challenges that need to be overcome to pave the way towards a loophole-free Bell test in this setup.
We propose a scheme to produce the maximally two photon polarization entangled state(EPR state) with single photon sources and the linear optics devices. In particular, our scheme requires the photon detectors only to distinguish the vacuum and non-vacuum Fock number states. A sophisticated photon detector distinguishing one or two photon states is unnecessary.
We discuss codes for protecting logical qubits carried by optical fields from the effects of amplitude damping, i.e. linear photon loss. We demonstrate that the correctability condition for one-photon loss imposes limitations on the range of manipulations than can be implemented with passive linear-optics networks.
We propose a feasible scheme to create $n$-party ($n\geq 2$) polarization-entangled photon states in a controllable way. The scheme requires only single-photon sources, single-photon quantum non-demolition measurement (SP-QNDM) and simple linear optical elements, usually with high perfections. The SP-QNDM acts as a non-destructive projection measurement onto the wanted entangled states and filters out the unwanted terms. Our scheme in fact realizes entanglement of non-interacting photons; the interaction occurs only implicitly in the optical elements and SP-QNDM. We also briefly consider purif…
We use the Stokes photon of a biphoton pair to set the time origin for electro-optic modulation of the wave function of the anti-Stokes photon thereby allowing arbitrary phase and amplitude modulation. We demonstrate conditional single-photon wave functions composed of several pulses, or instead, having gaussian or exponential shapes.
Nonclassical light sources, such as correlated photon-pairs, play an important role in quantum optics and quantum information processing systems. This study proposes a process to generate antibunched photon-pairs in a nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator. It is found that when the parameters of the system satisfy certain conditions, the generated photons in subharmonic modes exhibit a strong antibunching behavior and are strongly correlated with one another. In particular, the average photon-pair number is resonantly enhanced. It is also observed that the conventional photon blockade co…
A recent paper (Phys. Rev. A \textbf{86}, 034305 (2012)) proposed an entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for distilling one pair of maximally entangled multi-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state from two pairs of less-entangled multi-photon states with the photonic Faraday rotation. In this paper, we put forward an improved ECP for arbitrary less-entangled multi-photon GHZ state. In the ECP, we only require one pair of less-entangled multi-photon state and one auxiliary photon, and the whole concentration process only requires local operations. Moreover, our ECP can be used rep…
We present single-photon schemes for quantum error rejection and correction with linear optics. In stark contrast to other known proposals, our schemes do not require multi-photon entangled states, are not probabilistic, and their application is not restricted to single bit-flip errors.
Photon avalanche triggered by a single photon in a bistable nonlinear optical cavity
Universite Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LPMMC（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学，法国国家科学研究中心，微观与分子物理研究所）；Pitaevskii BEC Center, CNR-INO and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Trento（皮塔耶夫斯基玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚中心，意大利国家研究委员会红外光学研究所及特伦托大学物理系）；MajuLab, CNRS-UCA-SU-NUS-NTU International Joint Research Unit（迈朱实验室，法国国家科学研究中心-南法大学-新加坡国立大学-南洋理工大学国际联合研究单位）
The behavior of an atomic double lambda system in the presence of a strong off-resonant classical field and a few-photon resonant quantum field is examined. It is shown that the system possesses properties that allow a single-photon state to be distilled from a multi-photon input wave packet. In addition, the system is also capable of functioning as an efficient photodetector discriminating between one- and two-photon wave packets with arbitrarily high efficiency.
We report on Kerr nonlinearity and dispersive optical bistability of a Fabry-Perot optical resonator due to the displacement of ultracold atoms trapped within. In the driven resonator, such collective motion is induced by optical forces acting upon up to $10^5$ $^{87}$Rb atoms prepared in the lowest band of a one-dimensional intracavity optical lattice. The longevity of atomic motional coherence allows for strongly nonlinear optics at extremely low cavity photon numbers, as demonstrated by the observation of both branches of optical bistability at photon numbers below unity.
All optical detectors to date annihilate photons upon detection, thus excluding repeated measurements. Here, we demonstrate a robust photon detection scheme which does not rely on absorption. Instead, an incoming photon is reflected off an optical resonator containing a single atom prepared in a superposition of two states. The reflection toggles the superposition phase which is then measured to trace the photon. Characterizing the device with faint laser pulses, a single-photon detection efficiency of 74% and a survival probability of 66% is achieved. The efficiency can be further increased b…
We propose a scheme to implement a single-mode quantum filter, which selectively eliminates the one-photon state in a quantum state $α|0>+β|1>+γ|2>$. The vacuum state and the two photon state are transmitted without any change. This scheme requires single-photon sources, linear optical elements and photon detectors. Furthermore we demonstrate, how this filter can be used to realize a two-qubit projective measurement and to generate multi-photon polarization entangled states.
We consider quantum error-correction codes for multimode bosonic systems, such as optical fields, that are affected by amplitude damping. Such a process is a generalization of an erasure channel. We demonstrate that the most accessible method of transforming optical systems with the help of passive linear networks has limited usefulness in preparing and manipulating such codes. These limitations stem directly from the recoverability condition for one-photon loss. We introduce a three-photon code protecting against the first order of amplitude damping, i.e. a single photon loss, and discuss its…
Aiming the construction of quantum computers and quantum communication systems based on optical devices, in this work we present possible implementations of quantum and classical CNOTs gates, as well an optical setup for generation and distribution of bipartite entangled states, using linear optical devices and photon number quantum non-demolition measurement.
We propose a scheme for efficient cluster state quantum computation by using imperfect polarization-entangled photon-pair sources, linear optical elements and inefficient non-photon-number-resolving detectors. The efficiency threshold for loss tolerance in our scheme requires the product of source and detector efficiencies should be >1/2 - the best known figure. This figure applies to uncorrelated loss. We further find that the loss threshold is unaffected by correlated loss in the photon pair source. Our approach sheds new light on efficient linear optical quantum computation with imperfect e…
We study the coherent transport of one or two photons in a 1D waveguide chirally coupled to a nonlinear resonator. Analytic solutions of the one-photon and two-photon scattering is derived. Although the resonator acts as a non-reciprocal phase shifter, light transmission is reciprocal at one-photon level. However, the forward and reverse transmitted probabilities for two photons incident from either the left side or the right side of the nonlinear resonator are nonreciprocal due to the energy redistribution of the two-photon bound state. Hence, the nonlinear resonator acts as an optical diode …
We present a scheme to produce an entangled four-photon state from two pairs of entangled two-photon states. Such entangled four-photon states are equivalent to the quantum state of two maximally entangled spin-1 particles. The scheme can also be generated to prepare an entangled 2N-photon state from N pairs of entangled two-photon states. Such multi-photon states play a crucial role in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics versus local realism and in many quantum information and quantum computation schemes.
Two photons in free space pass each other undisturbed. This is ideal for the faithful transmission of information, but prohibits an interaction between the photons as required for a plethora of applications in optical quantum information processing. The long-standing challenge here is to realise a deterministic photon-photon gate. This requires an interaction so strong that the two photons can shift each others phase by pi. For polarisation qubits, this amounts to the conditional flipping of one photon's polarisation to an orthogonal state. So far, only probabilistic gates based on linear opti…
In this paper, we have explained transverse electro-optic effect by quantum-photonic model (QPM). This model interpret this effect by photon-electron interaction in attosecond regime. We simulate applied electric field on molecule and crystal by Monte-Carlo method in time domain when a light beam is propagated through the waveguide. We show how the waveguide response to an optical signal with different wavelengths when a transverse electric field applied to the waveguide.
We show how to create practical, efficient, quantum repeaters, employing double-photon guns, for long-distance optical quantum communication. The guns create polarization-entangled photon pairs on demand. One such source might be a semiconducter quantum dot, which has the distinct advantage over parametric down-conversion that the probability of creating a photon pair is close to one, while the probability of creating multiple pairs vanishes. The swapping and purifying components are implemented by polarizing beam splitters and probabilistic optical CNOT gates.
We put forward two efficient entanglement concentration protocols (ECPs) for distilling the maximally entangled NOON state from arbitrary less-entangled NOON state with only an auxiliary single photon. With the help of the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities, both the two ECPs can be used repeatedly to get a high success probability. In the first ECP, the auxiliary single photon should be shared by the two parties say Alice and Bob. In the second ECP, the auxiliary single photon is only possessed by Bob, which can greatly increase the practical success probability by avoiding the transmission loss.…
We will present a method of implementation of general projective measurement of two-photon polarization state with the use of linear optics elements only. The scheme presented succeeds with a probability of at least 1/16. For some specific measurements, (e.g. parity measurement) this probability reaches 1/4.
Quantum information processing using photons has recently been stimulated by the suggestion to use linear optics, single photon sources and detectors. The recent work by Knill has also shown that errors in photon detectors leads to a high error rate threshold (around 29%). An important missing element are good single photon sources. In this paper we show how to make a single photon source using squeezed states, linear optics and conditional measurement. We use degenerate squeezed vacuum states, in contrast to the normal non-degenerate squeezed vacuum states used for single photon production. W…
We show that single-photon entangled states of the form |0>|1>+|1>|0> can be purified with a simple linear-optics based protocol, which is eminently feasible with current technology. Besides its conceptual interest, this result is relevant for attractive quantum repeater protocols.
We present the first observation of two-photon polarization interference structure in the second-order Glauber's correlation function of two-photon light generated via type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion. In order to obtain this result, two-photon light is transmitted through an optical fibre and the coincidence distribution is analyzed by means of the START-STOP method. Beyond the experimental demonstration of an interesting effect in quantum optics, these results also have considerable relevance for quantum communications.
Nonlinear optical effects can be enhanced in tapered optical fibers with diameters less than the wavelength of the propagating light. Here we report on the observation of two-photon absorption using tapered fibers in rubidium vapor at power levels of less than 150 nW. Transit-time broadening produces two-photon absorption spectra with sharp peaks that are very different from conventional line shapes.
We present an experiment testing quantum correlations with frequency shifted photons. We test Bell inequality with 2-photon interferometry where we replace the beamsplitters by acousto-optic modulators, which are equivalent to moving beamsplitters. We measure the 2-photon beatings induced by the frequency shifts, and we propose a cryptographic scheme in relation. Finally, setting the experiment in a relativistic configuration, we demonstrate that the quantum correlations are not only independent of the distance but also of the time ordering between the two single-photon measurements.
I analyse a recent quantum communication protocol by Salih et al. that allows one to communicate without any particle carrying the information from the sender to the receiver. I show how this can equally be achieved using classical communication.
Although universal continuous-variable quantum computation cannot be achieved via linear optics (including squeezing), homodyne detection and feed-forward, inclusion of ideal photon counting measurements overcomes this obstacle. These measurements are sometimes described by arrays of beam splitters to distribute the photons across several modes. We show that such a scheme cannot be used to implement ideal photon counting and that such measurements necessarily involve nonlinear evolution. However, this requirement of nonlinearity can be moved "off-line," thereby permitting universal continuous-…
We investigate the implementation of binary projective measurements with linear optics. This problem can be viewed as a single-shot discrimination of two orthogonal pure quantum states. We show that any two orthogonal states can be perfectly discriminated using only linear optics, photon counting, coherent ancillary states, and feedforward. The statement holds in the asymptotic limit of large number of these physical resources.
Scalable and efficient quantum computation with photonic qubits requires (i) deterministic sources of single-photons, (ii) giant nonlinearities capable of entangling pairs of photons, and (iii) reliable single-photon detectors. In addition, an optical quantum computer would need a robust reversible photon storage devise. Here we discuss several related techniques, based on the coherent manipulation of atomic ensembles in the regime of electromagnetically induced transparency, that are capable of implementing all of the above prerequisites for deterministic optical quantum computation with sing…
Using the correlated signal and idler photon pairs generated in a dispersion shifted fiber by a pulsed pump, we measure the quantum efficiency of a InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode-based single photon detector. Since the collection efficiency of photon pairs is a key parameter to correctly deduce the quantum efficiency, we carefully characterize the collection efficiency by studying correlation dependence of photon pairs upon the spectra of pump, signal and idler photons. This study allows us to obtain quantum efficiency of the single photon detector by using photon pairs with various kinds of …
Future quantum optical networks will require the ability to route entangled photons at high speeds, with minimal loss and added in-band noise, and---most importantly---without disturbing the photons' quantum state. Here we present an all-optical switch which fulfills these requirements and characterize its performance at the single photon level. It exhibits a 200-ps switching window, 120:1 contrast, 1.5-dB loss, and induces no measurable degradation in the switched photons' entangled-state fidelity (< 0.002). As a proof-of-principle demonstration of its capability, we use the switch to demulti…
We present an experimental proposal for the generation of photon triplets based on third-order spontaneous para- metric downconversion in thin optical fibers. Our analysis includes expressions for the quantum state, which de- scribes the photon triplets and for the generation rate in terms of all experimental parameters. We also present, for a specific source design, numerically calculated generation rates.
The four-qubit states $\lvertχ^{ij}\rangle$, exhibiting genuinely multi-partite entanglement have been shown to have many interesting properties and have been suggested for novel applications in quantum information processing. In this work we propose a simple quantum circuit and its corresponding optical embodiment with which to prepare photon pairs in the $\lvertχ^{ij}\rangle$ states. Our approach uses hyper-entangled photon pairs, produced by the type-I spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process in two contiguous nonlinear crystals, together with a set of simple linear-optical tra…
We demonstrate that a photon echo can be implemented by all-optical means using an array of on-chip high-finesse ring cavities whose parameters are chirped in such a way as to support equidistant spectra of cavity modes. When launched into such a system, a classical or quantum optical signal -- even a single-photon field -- becomes distributed between individual cavities, giving rise to prominent coherence echo revivals at well-defined delay times, controlled by the chirp of cavity parameters. This effect enables long storage times for high-throughput broadband optical delay and quantum memory…
We have demonstrated single-photon interference over 150 km using time-division interferometers for quantum cryptography, which were composed of two integrated-optic asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers, and balanced gated-mode photon detectors. The observed fringe visibility was more than 80% after 150-km transmission.
We demonstrate that four-wave mixing processes in high-quality non-linear resonators can lead to Rabi-like oscillations in photon occupation numbers and second-order correlation functions, being a characteristic feature of the presence of entangled photon pairs in the optical signal. In the case of a system driven by a continuous coherent pump, the oscillations occur in the transient regime. We show that driving the system with pulsed coherent pumping would generate strongly anti-bunched photon states.
We analyze the rate of two-photon absorption in tapered optical fibers with diameters less than the wavelength of the incident light. The rate of two-photon absorption is shown to be enhanced due to the small mode volume of the tapered fiber and the relatively large overlap of the evanescent field with an atomic vapor that surrounds the tapered region. The two-photon absorption rate is optimized as a function of the diameter of the tapered region.
Entangled photons are pivotal elements in emerging quantum information technologies. While several schemes are available for the production of entangled photons, they typically require the assistance of cumbersome optical elements to couple them to other components involved in logic operations. Here, we introduce a scheme by which entangled photon pairs are directly generated as guided mode states in optical waveguides. The scheme relies on the intrinsic nonlinearity of the waveguide material, circumventing the use of bulky optical components. Specifically, we consider an optical fiber under n…
The process of single-photon subtraction (SPS) is known to dramatically alter the properties of certain quantum optical states. Somewhat surprisingly, subtracting zero photons can also modify quantum states and has practical applications in quantum communication. Here we experimentally investigate zero-photon subtraction (ZPS) using a wide variety of input states and conditional measurements based on actively detecting zero photons in one output port of a variable beamsplitter. We find that SPS and ZPS can exhibit complementary behavior depending on the photon statistics of the input states, a…
A linear optical probabilistic scheme for the optimal cloning of a pair of orthogonally-polarized photons is devised, based on single- and two-photon interferences. It consists in a partial symmetrization device, realized with a modified unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer, followed by two independent Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometers. This scheme has the advantage that it enables quantum cloning without the need for stimulated amplification in a nonlinear medium. It can also be modified so to make an optical two-qubit partial SWAP gate, thereby providing a potentially useful tool to linear op…
Recently, the photon absorption attracts lots of interest and plays an important role in a variety of applications. Here, we propose a valuable scheme to investigate the perfect photon absorption in a hybrid atom-optomechanical system both under and beyond the low-excitation limit. The perfect photon absorption persists both in the linear atomic excitation regime and nonlinear atomic excitation regime, below the threshold of the optical bistability/multistability, respectively. We also show that the optical nonlinearity raised by the nonlinear optomechanical interaction and nonlinear atomic ex…
Photonic hyper-crystals combine the most interesting features of hyperbolic metamaterials and photonic crystals. Since the dispersion law of extraordinary photons in hyperbolic metamaterials does not exhibit the usual diffraction limit, photonic hyper-crystals exhibit light localization on deep subwavelength scales, leading to considerable enhancement of nonlinear photon-photon interaction. Therefore, similar to their conventional photonic crystal counterparts, nonlinear photonic hyper-crystals appear to be very promising in optical limiting and optical computing applications. Nonlinear optics…
A source of entangled photons that emits one, and only one, pair of photons on demand has now been realized in a semiconductor chip. The solid-state source will be a useful resource for experiments in optical quantum information.
We experimentally investigate the fluorescence photon emission characteristics for single q-dots by using optical nanofibers. We demonstrate that single q-dots can be deposited along an optical nanofiber systematically and reproducibly with a precision of 5 μm. For single q-dots on an optical nanofiber, we measure the fluorescence photon numbers coupled into the nanofiber and the normalized photon correlations, by varying the excitation laser intensity. We estimate the fluorescence photon coupling efficiency into the nanofiber guided modes to be higher than 9.4\pm3%.
Leveraging the quantum information processing ability of superconducting circuits and long-distance distribution ability of optical photons promises the realization of complex and large-scale quantum networks. In such a scheme, a coherent and efficient quantum transducer between superconducting and photonic circuits is critical. However, such quantum transducer is still challenging since the use of intermediate excitations in current schemes introduces extra noise and limits bandwidth. Here we realize direct and coherent transduction between superconducting and photonic circuits based on tripl…
Advanced electro-optic processing combines electrical control with optical modulation and detection. For quantum photonic applications these processes must be carried out at the single photon level with high efficiency and low noise. Integrated quantum photonics has made great strides achieving single photon manipulation by combining key components on integrated chips which are operated by external driving electronics. Nevertheless, electrical interconnects between driving electronics and the electro-optic components, some of which require cryogenic operating conditions, can introduce parasiti…
Electro-optic time lenses are promising experimental components for photonic spectral-temporal processing of quantum information. We report a stable method to realize an electro-optic time lens, which relies on the amplification of an electronic response of a fast photodiode. The method does not require a repetitive clock and may be applied to aperiodic optical signals. We experimentally demonstrate the approach using single-photon pulses and directly verify its aperiodicity. The approach will enable construction of complex electro-optic temporal optical systems.
It is a difficult engineering task to create distinct solid state single photon sources which nonetheless emit photons at the same frequency. It is also hard to create entangled photon pairs from quantum dots. In the spirit of quantum engineering we propose a simple optical circuit which can, in the right circumstances, make frequency distinguishable photons frequency indistinguishable. Our circuit can supply a downstream solution to both problems, opening up a large window of allowed frequency mismatches between physical mechanisms. The only components used are spectrum analysers/prisms and a…
Recent breakthroughs in solid-state photonic quantum technologies enable generating and detecting single photons with near-unity efficiency as required for a range of photonic quantum technologies. The lack of methods to simultaneously generate and control photons within the same chip, however, has formed a main obstacle to achieving efficient multi-qubit gates and to harness the advantages of chip-scale quantum photonics. Here we propose and demonstrate an integrated voltage-controlled phase shifter based on the electro-optic effect in suspended photonic waveguides with embedded quantum emitt…
