An attack exploiting single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) blinding is one of the effective methods of 'quantum hacking' (Lydersen et al 2010 Nat. Photon. 4 686) or cracking quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. This attack was experimentally demonstrated for various QKD systems based on both phase and polarization coding. After such an attack, the eavesdropper knows the whole key, has not produced errors, and is not detected. So far this attack is the only one that was demonstrated in the explicit form on many real QKD systems. It is important that these demonstrations were actually performed in reality, i.e. not in speculations as some other attacks. Therefore, the presence of vulnerability in QKD systems based on polarization coding is an existing fact, rather than just a potential threat. It is often assumed that all systems regardless of the encoding method are vulnerable to such an attack. However, in the case of phase coding, some essential features of photocount statistics on the receiving side make a difference. In this Letter we prove that detector blinding attack, when acts on QKD systems with phase coding, leads to a distortion of the photocounts statistics so the eavesdropper may always be detected. Moreover, one does not need to change the design of the QKD system and/or its control electronics, as it is sufficient to amend only the processing of the quantum states registration results to make the system secure. At the same time, polarization coding-based systems remain vulnerable to such an attack and do not guarantee key security.
Uncertainty-reality complementarity and entropic uncertainty relations
Łukasz Rudnicki
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS A-MATHEMATICAL AND THEORETICAL
51
(50)
504001
(2018)
| Journal
Reality of quantum observables, a feature of long-standing interest within foundations of quantum mechanics, has recently been quantified and deeply studied by means of entropic measures (Dieguez and Angelo 2018 Phys. Rev. A 97 022107). However, there is no state-independent 'reality trade-off' between non-commuting observables, as in certain systems all observables are real (Bilobran and Angelo 2015 Europhys. Lett. 112 40005). We show that the entropic uncertainty relation in the presence of quantum memory (Berta et al 2010 Nat. Phys. 6 659) perfectly supplements the discussed notion of reality, rendering trade-offs between reality and quantum uncertainty. State-independent complementarity inequalities involving entropic measures of both, uncertainty and reality, for two observables are presented.
Weak measurement of elliptical dipole moments by C point splitting
Sergey Nechayev,
Martin Neugebauer,
Martin Vorndran,
Gerd Leuchs,
Peter Banzer
We investigate points of circular polarization in the far field of elliptically polarized dipoles and establish a relation between the angular position and helicity of these C points and the dipole moment. In the case of highly eccentric dipoles, the C points of opposite handedness exhibit only a small angular separation and occur in the low intensity region of the emission pattern. In this regard, we introduce an optical weak measurement approach that utilizes the transverse electric (azimuthal) and transverse magnetic (radial) far-eld polarization basis. Projecting the far field<br>onto a spatially varying post-selected polarization state reveals the angular separation and the helicity of the C points. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach and determine the elliptical dipole moment of a particle sitting on an interface by measuring the C points in its far field.
Experimental investigation of high-dimensional quantum key distribution protocols with twisted photons
Frédéric Bouchard,
Khabat Heshami,
Duncan England,
Robert Fickler,
Robert W. Boyd,
Berthold-Georg Englert,
Luis Sanchez-Soto,
Ebrahim Karimi
Quantum key distribution is on the verge of real world applications, where perfectly secure information can be distributed among multiple parties. Several quantum cryptographic protocols have been theoretically proposed and independently realized in different experimental conditions. Here, we develop an experimental platform based on high-dimensional orbital angular momentum states of single photons that enables implementation of multiple quantum key distribution protocols with a single experimental apparatus. Our versatile approach allows us to experimentally survey different classes of quantum key distribution techniques, such as the 1984 Bennett & Brassard (BB84), tomographic protocols including the six-state and the Singapore protocol, and to investigate, for the first time, a recently introduced differential phase shift (Chau15) protocol using twisted photons. This enables us to experimentally compare the performance of these techniques and discuss their benefits and deficiencies in terms of noise tolerance in different dimensions.
Stabilization of transmittance fluctuations caused by beam wandering in continuous-variable quantum communication over free-space atmospheric channels
Vladyslav C. Usenko,
Christian Peuntinger,
Bettina Heim,
Kevin Günthner,
Ivan Derkach,
Dominique Elser,
Christoph Marquardt,
Radim Filip,
Gerd Leuchs
Transmittance fluctuations in turbulent atmospheric channels result in quadrature excess noise which limits applicability of continuous-variable quantum communication. Such fluctuations are commonly caused by beam wandering around the receiving aperture. We study the possibility to stabilize the fluctuations by expanding the beam, and test this channel stabilization in regard of continuous-variable entanglement sharing and quantum key distribution. We perform transmittance measurements of a real free-space atmospheric channel for different beam widths and show that the beam expansion reduces the fluctuations of the channel transmittance by the cost of an increased overall loss. We also theoretically study the possibility to share an entangled state or to establish secure quantum key distribution over the turbulent atmospheric channels with varying beam widths. We show the positive effect of channel stabilization by beam expansion on continuous-variable quantum communication as well as the necessity to optimize the method in order to maximize the secret key rate or the amount of shared entanglement. Being autonomous and not requiring adaptive control of the source and detectors based on characterization of beam wandering, the method of beam expansion can be also combined with other methods aiming at stabilizing the fluctuating free-space atmospheric channels.
Transverse Kerker Scattering for Ångström Localization of Nanoparticles
Ankan Bag,
Martin Neugebauer,
Pawel Wozniak,
Gerd Leuchs,
Peter Banzer
Angstrom precision localization of a single nanoantenna is a crucial step towards advanced nanometrology, medicine and biophysics. Here, we show that single nanoantenna displacements<br>down to few Angstroms can be resolved with sub-Angstrom precision using an all-optical method.<br>We utilize the tranverse Kerker scattering scheme where a carefully structured light beam excites a combination of multipolar modes inside a dielectric nanoantenna, which then upon interference, scatters directionally into the far-field. We spectrally tune our scheme such that it is most sensitive<br>to the change in directional scattering per nanoantenna displacement. Finally, we experimentally show that antenna displacement down to 3 A˚ is resolvable with a localization precision of 0.6 A˚.
Sensitivity limits of millimeter-wave photonic radiometers based on efficient electro-optic upconverters
Gabriel Santamaria Botello,
Florian Sedlmeir,
Alfredo Rueda,
Kerlos Atia Abdalmalak,
Elliott R. Brown,
Gerd Leuchs,
Sascha Preu,
Daniel Segovia-Vargas,
Dmitry V. Strekalov, et al.
Conventional ultra-high sensitivity detectors in the millimeter-wave range are usually cooled as their own thermal noise at room temperature would mask the weak received radiation. The need for cryogenic systems increases the cost and complexity of the instruments, hindering the development of, among others, airborne and space applications. In this work, the nonlinear parametric upconversion of millimeter-wave radiation to the optical domain inside high-quality (Q) lithium niobate whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonators is proposed for ultra-low noise detection. We experimentally demonstrate coherent upconversion of millimeter-wave signals to a 1550 nm telecom carrier, with a photon conversion efficiency surpassing the state-of-the-art by 2 orders of magnitude. Moreover, a theoretical model shows that the thermal equilibrium of counterpropagating WGMs is broken by overcoupling the millimeter-wave WGM, effectively cooling the upconverted mode and allowing ultra-low noise detection. By theoretically estimating the sensitivity of a correlation radiometer based on the presented scheme, it is found that room-temperature radiometers with better sensitivity than state-of-the-art high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT)-based radiometers can be designed. This detection paradigm can be used to develop room-temperature instrumentation for radio astronomy, earth observation, planetary missions, and imaging systems. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
We reelaborate on the basic properties of PT symmetry from a geometrical perspective. The transfer matrix associated with these systems induces a Mobius transformation in the complex plane. The trace of this matrix classifies the actions into three types that represent rotations, translations, and parallel displacements. We find that a PT invariant system can be pictured as a complex conjugation followed by an inversion in a circle. We elucidate the physical meaning of these geometrical operations and link them with measurable properties of the system.
Nonregularity of three-dimensional polarization states
José J. Gil,
Andreas Norrman,
Ari T. Friberg,
Tero Setälä
Regular states of polarization are defined as those that can be decomposed into a pure state (fully polarized), a two-dimensional (2D) unpolarized state (a state whose polarization ellipse evolves fully randomly in a fixed plane), and a three-dimensional (3D) unpolarized state (a state whose polarization ellipse evolves fully randomly in the 3D space) \[Phys. Rev. A95, 053856 (2017)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.95.053856\]. For nonregular states, the middle component can be considered as an equiprobable mixture of two pure states, whose polarization ellipses lie in different planes. In this work, we identify a perfect nonregular state and introduce the degree of nonregularity as a measure of the proximity of a nonregular state to regularity. We also analyze and interpret the notion of polarization-state regularity in terms of polarimetric parameters. Our results bring new insights into the polarimetric structure of 3D light fields.
Tempering Rayleigh’s curse with PSF shaping
Martin Paúr,
Bohumil Stoklasa,
Jai Grover,
Andrej Krzic,
Luis Sanchez-Soto,
Zdeněk Hradil,
Jaroslav Řeháček
It has been argued that, for a spatially invariant imaging system, the information one can gain about the separation of two incoherent point sources decays quadratically to zero with decreasing separation. The effect is termed Rayleighx2019;s curse. Contrary to this belief, we identify a class of point-spread functions (PSFs) with a linear information decrease. Moreover, we show that any well-behaved symmetric PSF can be converted into such a form with a simple nonabsorbing signum filter. We experimentally demonstrate significant superresolution capabilities based on this idea.
Tomography from collective measurements
A. Muñoz,
A. B. Klimov,
Markus Grassl,
Luis Sanchez-Soto
Quantum Information Processing
17
(10)
286
(2018)
| Preprint
| Journal
| PDF
We discuss the tomography of N-qubit states using collective measurements.The method is exact for symmetric states, whereas for not completely symmetric states the information accessible can be arranged as a mixture of irreducible SU(2) blocks. For the fully symmetric sector, the reconstruction protocol can be reduced to projections onto a canonically chosen set of pure states.<br>
Quantum-limited time-frequency estimation through mode-selective photon measurement
John M. Donohue,
Vahid Ansari,
Jaroslav Řeháček,
Zdeněk Hradil,
Bohumil Stoklasa,
Martin Paúr,
Luis Sanchez-Soto,
Christine Silberhorn
By projecting onto complex optical mode profiles, it is possible to estimate arbitrarily small separations between objects with quantum-limited precision,<br>free of uncertainty arising from overlapping intensity profiles. Here we extend these techniques to the time-frequency domain using mode-selective sum-frequency generation with shaped ultrafast pulses. We experimentally resolve temporal and spectral separations between incoherent mixtures of<br>single-photon level signals ten times smaller than their optical bandwidths with a ten-fold improvement in precision over the intensity-only Cramér-Rao<br>bound.
Exciting a chiral dipole moment in an achiral nanostructure
Controlling the electric and magnetic dipole moments of optical nanostructures is a fundamental prerequisite for light routing and polarization multiplexing at the nanoscale. A versatile approach for inducing tailored dipole moments is structured illumination. Here, we discuss the excitation of a chiral dipole moment in an achiral silicon nanoparticle. In particular, we make use of the electric and magnetic polarizabilities of the silicon nanoparticle to coherently excite a superposition of parallel electric and magnetic dipole moments phase-shifted by +/-pi/2, which resembles the fundamental mode of a three-dimensional chiral nanostructure. We demonstrate the wavelength dependence of the excitation scheme and measure the spin and orbital angular momenta in the emission of the induced chiral dipole moments. Our results highlight the capabilities of such tunable chiral dipole emitters-not limited by structural properties-as flexible sources of spin-polarized light for nanoscopic devices. (c) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
Quantum cryptography with twisted photons through an outdoor underwater channel
Frédéric Bouchard,
Alicia Sit,
Felix Hufnagel,
Aazad Abbas,
Yingwen Zhang,
Khabat Heshami,
Robert Fickler,
Christoph Marquardt,
Gerd Leuchs, et al.
Quantum communication has been successfully implemented in optical fibres and through free-space. Fibre systems, though capable of fast key and low error rates, are impractical in communicating with destinations without an established fibre link. Free-space quantum channels can overcome such limitations and reach long distances with the advent of satellite-to-ground links. However, turbulence, resulting from local fluctuations in refractive index, becomes a major challenge by adding errors and losses. Recently, an interest in investigating the possibility of underwater quantum channels has arisen. Here, we investigate the effect of turbulence on an underwater quantum channel using twisted photons in outdoor conditions. We study the effect of turbulence on transmitted error rates, and compare different quantum cryptographic protocols in an underwater quantum channel, showing the feasibility of high-dimensional encoding schemes. Our work may open the way for secure high-dimensional quantum communication between submersibles, and provides important input for potential submersibles-to-satellite quantum communication.
Chirality of Symmetric Resonant Heterostructures
Sergey Nechayev,
Pawel Wozniak,
Martin Neugebauer,
Rene Barczyk,
Peter Banzer
Chiroptical effects arising in mirror‐symmetric geometrically achiral resonant heterostructures are investigated. It is shown that coalescence of extrinsic chirality, heterogeneous morphology, and substrate‐induced break of symmetry leads to pronounced circular dichroism and circular birefringence. The physics of the involved phenomena is elucidated by studying spin‐splitting in scattering and hybridized dipolar modes of a heterodimer made of gold and silicon nanoparticles of the same shape and size. The work sheds new light on the optical properties of heterogeneous nanostructures and paves the way for designing polarization‐controlled tunable heterogeneous optical elements.
Chiroptical response of a single plasmonic nanohelix
Pawel Wozniak,
Israel De Leon,
Katja Hoeflich,
Caspar Haverkamp,
Silke Christiansen,
Gerd Leuchs,
Peter Banzer
OPTICS EXPRESS
26
(15)
19275-19293
(2018)
| Journal
| PDF
We investigate the chiroptical response of a single plasmonic nanohelix interacting with a weakly focused circularly polarized Gaussian beam. The optical scattering at the fundamental resonance is characterized experimentally and numerically. The angularly resolved scattering of the excited nanohelix is verified experimentally and it validates the numerical results. We employ a multipole decomposition analysis to study the fundamental and first higher-order resonance of the nanohelix, explaining their chiral properties in terms of the formation of chiral dipoles. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement
Coherence lattices in surface plasmon polariton fields
Yahong Chen,
Andreas Norrman,
Sergey A. Ponomarenko,
Ari T. Friberg
We explore electromagnetic coherence lattices in planar polychromatic surface plasmon polariton (SPP) fields. When the SPP constituents are uncorrelated-and thus do not interfere-coherence lattices arise from statistical similarity of the random SPP electromagnetic field. As the SPP correlations become stronger, the coherence lattices fade away, but the lattice structure reemerges in the spectral density of the field. The polarization states of the structured SPP lattice fields are also investigated. Controllable plasmonic coherence and spectral density lattices can find applications in nanophotonics, such as nanoparticle manipulation. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America
Optimal measurements for quantum spatial superresolution
J. Rehacek,
Z. Hradil,
D. Koutny,
J. Grover,
A. Krzic,
Luis Sanchez-Soto
We construct optimal measurements, achieving the ultimate precision predicted by quantum theory, for the simultaneous estimation of centroid, separation, and relative intensities of two incoherent point sources using a linear optical system. We discuss the physical feasibility of the scheme, which could pave the way for future practical implementations of quantum-inspired imaging.
Renyi relative entropies of quantum Gaussian states
Kaushik P Seshadreesan,
Ludovico Lami,
Mark M Wilde
Journal of Mathematical Physics
59
(7)
072204
(2018)
| Journal
The quantum Renyi relative entropies play a prominent role in quantum information theory, finding applications in characterizing error exponents and strong converse exponents for quantum hypothesis testing and quantum communication theory. On a different thread, quantum Gaussian states have been intensely investigated theoretically, motivated by the fact that they are more readily accessible in the laboratory than are other, more exotic quantum states. In this paper, we derive formulas for the quantum Renyi relative entropies of quantum Gaussian states. We consider both the traditional (Petz) Renyi relative entropy as well as the more recent sandwiched Renyi relative entropy, finding formulas that are expressed solely in terms of the mean vectors and covariance matrices of the underlying quantum Gaussian states. Our development handles the hitherto elusive case for the Petz-Renyi relative entropy when the Renyi parameter is larger than one. Finally, we also derive a formula for the max-relative entropy of two quantum Gaussian states, and we discuss some applications of the formulas derived here.
Space QUEST mission proposal: experimentally testing decoherence due to gravity
Siddarth Koduru Joshi,
Jacques Pienaar,
Timothy C. Ralph,
Luigi Cacciapuoti,
Will McCutcheon,
John Rarity,
Dirk Giggenbach,
Jin Gyu Lim,
Vadim Makarov, et al.
Models of quantum systems on curved space-times lack sufficient experimental verification. Some speculative theories suggest that quantum correlations, such as entanglement, may exhibit different behavior to purely classical correlations in curved space. By measuring this effect or lack thereof, we can test the hypotheses behind several such models. For instance, as predicted by Ralph et al [5] and Ralph and Pienaar [1], a bipartite entangled system could decohere if each particle traversed through a different gravitational field gradient. We propose to study this effect in a ground to space uplink scenario. We extend the above theoretical predictions of Ralph and coworkers and discuss the scientific consequences of detecting/failing to detect the predicted gravitational decoherence. We present a detailed mission design of the European Space Agency's Space QUEST (Space-Quantum Entanglement Space Test) mission, and study the feasibility of the mission scheme.
Uncertainty Relations for Coarse-Grained Measurements: An Overview
Fabricio Toscano,
Daniel S. Tasca,
Łukasz Rudnicki,
Stephen P. Walborn
Uncertainty relations involving incompatible observables are one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics. Aside from their fundamental significance, they play an important role in practical applications, such as detection of quantum correlations and security requirements in quantum cryptography. In continuous variable systems, the spectra of the relevant observables form a continuum and this necessitates the coarse graining of measurements. However, these coarse-grained observables do not necessarily obey the same uncertainty relations as the original ones, a fact that can lead to false results when considering applications. That is, one cannot naively replace the original observables in the uncertainty relation for the coarse-grained observables and expect consistent results. As such, several uncertainty relations that are specifically designed for coarse-grained observables have been developed. In recognition of the 90th anniversary of the seminal Heisenberg uncertainty relation, celebrated last year, and all the subsequent work since then, here we give a review of the state of the art of coarse-grained uncertainty relations in continuous variable quantum systems, as well as their applications to fundamental quantum physics and quantum information tasks. Our review is meant to be balanced in its content, since both theoretical considerations and experimental perspectives are put on an equal footing.
Off-resonant emission of photon pairs in nonlinear optical cavities
Valentin Averchenko,
Gerhard Schunk,
Michael Förtsch,
Martin Fischer,
Dmitry Strekalov,
Gerd Leuchs,
Christoph Marquardt
Cavity-assisted spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) and spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in nonlinear optical materials are practical and versatile methods to generate narrowband time-energy entangled photon pairs. Time- energy entangled photons with tailored spectro-temporal properties are particularly useful for efficient quantum optical interfaces. In this work we study the generation of photon pairs in cavity-assisted SPDC and SFWM for the general case of off-resonant conversion, namely, when the frequencies of the generated photons do not match the cavity resonances. Such a frequency mismatch in particular depends on temperature and requires an additional control in the experiment. First, we propose a generic model, for description of cavity-assisted SPDC and SFWM. We show that in both processes the mismatch reduces the generation rate of photons, distorts the spectrum and the auto-correlation function of the generated fields, as well as affects the photon generation dynamics. Second, we verify the results experimentally using parametric generation of photon pairs in a nonlinear whispering gallery mode resonator (WGMR) as an experimental platform with controlled frequency mismatch. Our work reveals the role of the frequency mismatch in the photon generation process and shows a way to control it. Obtained results constitute one more step in the direction of full control over the spectro-temporal properties of entangled photon pairs and the heralded generation of single-photon pulses with a tailored temporal mode.
Tailoring multipolar Mie scattering with helicity and angular momentum
Xavier Zambrana-Puyalto,
Xavier Vidal,
Pawel Wozniak,
Peter Banzer,
Gabriel Molina-Terriza
ACS Photonics
5
(7 SI)
2936-2944
(2018)
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| PDF
| PDF
Linear scattering processes are usually described as a function of the parameters of the incident beam. The wavelength, the intensity distribution, the polarization or the phase are among them. Here, we discuss and experimentally demonstrate how the angular momentum and the helicity of light influence the light scattering of spherical particles. We measure the backscattering of a 4 μm diameter TiO2 single particle deposited on a glass substrate. The particle is probed at different wavelengths by different beams with total angular momenta ranging from −8 to +8 units. It is observed that the spectral behavior of the particle is highly dependent on the angular momentum and helicity of the incoming beam. While some of the properties of the scattered field can be described with a simple resonator model, the scattering of high angular momentum beams requires a deeper understanding of the multipolar modes induced in the sphere. We observe that tailoring these induced multipolar modes can cause a shift and a spectral narrowing of the peaks of the scattering spectrum. Furthermore, specific combinations of helicity and angular momentum for the excitation lead to differences in the conservation of helicity by the system, which has clear consequences on the scattering pattern.
Magnetic and Electric Transverse Spin Density of Spatially Confined Light
Martin Neugebauer,
Jörg Eismann,
Thomas Bauer,
Peter Banzer
PHYSICAL REVIEW X
8
(2)
021042
(2018)
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When a beam of light is laterally confined, its field distribution can exhibit points where the local magnetic and electric field vectors spin in a plane containing the propagation direction of the electromagnetic wave. The phenomenon indicates the presence of a nonzero transverse spin density. Here, we experimentally investigate this transverse spin density of both magnetic and electric fields, occurring in highly confined structured fields of light. Our scheme relies on the utilization of a high-re fractiv-indcx e-noperticlc as a lecal field probe, exhibiting magnetic and electric dipole resonances in the visible spectral range. Because of the directional emission of dipole moments that spin around an axis parallel to a nearby dielectric interface, such a probe particle is capable of locally sensing the magnetic and electric transverse spin density of a tightly focused beam impinging under normal incidence with respect to said interface. We exploit the achieved experimental results to emphasize the difference between magnetic and electric transverse spin densities.
Mutually unbiased coarse-grained measurements of two or more
phase-space variables
Mutual unbiasedness of the eigenstates of phase-space operators-such as position and momentum, or their standard coarse-grained versions-exists only in the limiting case of infinite squeezing. In Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 040403 (2018), it was shown that mutual unbiasedness can be recovered for periodic coarse graining of these two operators. Here we investigate mutual unbiasedness of coarse-grained measurements for more than two phase-space variables. We show that mutual unbiasedness can be recovered between periodic coarse graining of any two nonparallel phase-space operators. We illustrate these results through optics experiments, using the fractional Fourier transform to prepare and measure mutually unbiased phase-space variables. The differences between two and three mutually unbiased measurements is discussed. Our results contribute to bridging the gap between continuous and discrete quantum mechanics, and they could be useful in quantum-information protocols.
Towards an integrated AlGaAs waveguide platform for phase and polarisation shaping
G Maltese,
Y Halioua,
A Lemaitre,
C Gomez-Carbonell,
E Karimi,
Peter Banzer,
S Ducci
Journal of Optics
20
(5)
05LT01
(2018)
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| PDF
We propose, design and fabricate an on-chip AlGaAs waveguide capable of generating a controlled phase delay of pi/2 between the guided transverse electric and magnetic modes. These modes possess significantly strong longitudinal field components as a direct consequence of their strong lateral confinement in the waveguide. We demonstrate that the effect of the device on a linearly polarised input beam is the generation of a field, which is circularly polarised in its transverse components and carries a phase vortex in its longitudinal component. We believe that the discussed integrated platform enables the generation of light beams with tailored phase and polarisation distributions.
Near optimal discrimination of binary coherent signals via atom–light interaction
Rui Han,
János A Bergou,
Gerd Leuchs
New Journal of Physics
20
(4)
043005
(2018)
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We study the discrimination of weak coherent states of light with significant overlaps by nondestructive measurements on the light states through measuring atomic states that are entangled to the coherent states via dipole coupling. In this way, the problem of measuring and discriminating coherent light states is shifted to finding the appropriate atom–light interaction and atomic measurements. We show that this scheme allows us to attain a probability of error extremely close to the Helstrom bound, the ultimate quantum limit for discriminating binary quantum states, through the simple Jaynes–Cummings interaction between the field and ancilla with optimized light–atom coupling and projective measurements on the atomic states. Moreover, since the measurement is nondestructive on the light state, information that is not detected by one measurement can be extracted from the post-measurement light states through subsequent measurements.
Testing for entanglement with periodic coarse-graining
Daniel S. Tasca,
Łukasz Rudnicki,
Reuben S. Aspden,
Miles J. Padgett,
Paulo H. Souto Ribeiro,
Stephen P. Walborn
Continuous variables systems find valuable applications in quantum<br>information processing. To deal with an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space, one<br>in general has to handle large numbers of discretized measurements in tasks<br>such as entanglement detection. Here we employ the continuous transverse<br>spatial variables of photon pairs to experimentally demonstrate novel<br>entanglement criteria based on a periodic structure of coarse-grained<br>measurements. The periodization of the measurements allows for an efficient<br>evaluation of entanglement using spatial masks acting as mode analyzers over<br>the entire transverse field distribution of the photons and without the need to<br>reconstruct the probability densities of the conjugate continuous variables.<br>Our experimental results demonstrate the utility of the derived criteria with a<br>success rate in entanglement detection of $\sim60\%$ relative to $7344$ studied<br>cases.<br>
Majorization uncertainty relations for mixed quantum states
Zbigniew Puchała,
Łukasz Rudnicki,
Aleksandra Krawiec,
Karol Życzkowski
Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical
51
(17)
175306
(2018)
| Journal
Majorization uncertainty relations are generalized for an arbitrary mixed quantum state ρ of a finite size N . In particular, a lower bound for the sum of two entropies characterizing the probability distributions corresponding to measurements with respect to two arbitrary orthogonal bases is derived in terms of the spectrum of ρ and the entries of a unitary matrix U relating both bases. The results obtained can also be formulated for two measurements performed on a single subsystem of a bipartite system described by a pure state, and consequently expressed as an uncertainty relation for the sum of conditional entropies.
Residual and Destroyed Accessible Information after Measurements
When quantum states are used to send classical information, the receiver performs a measurement on the signal states. The amount of information extracted is often not optimal due to the receiver’s measurement scheme and experimental apparatus. For quantum nondemolition measurements, there is potentially some residual information in the postmeasurement state, while part of the information has been extracted and the rest is destroyed. Here, we propose a framework to characterize a quantum measurement by how much information it extracts and destroys, and how much information it leaves in the residual postmeasurement state. The concept is illustrated for several receivers discriminating coherent states.
We introduce a class of structured polychromatic surface electromagnetic fields, reminiscent of conventional optical axicon fields, through a judicious superposition of partially correlated surface plasmon polaritons. We show that such partially coherent axiconic surface plasmon polariton fields are structurally stable and statistically highly versatile with regard to spectral density, polarization state, energy flow, and degree of coherence. These fields can be created by plasmon coherence engineering and may prove instrumental broadly in surface physics and in various nanophotonics applications.
Gauge invariant information concerning quantum channels
Łukasz Rudnicki,
Zbigniew Puchała,
Karol Zyczkowski
Motivated by the gate set tomography we study quantum channels from the perspective of information which is invariant with respect to the gauge realized through similarity of matrices representing channel superoperators. We thus use the complex spectrum of the superoperator to provide necessary conditions relevant for complete positivity of qubit channels and to express various metrics such as average gate fidelity.
Towards terahertz detection and calibration through spontaneous parametric down-conversion in the terahertz idler-frequency range generated by a 795 nm diode laser system
Vladimir V. Kornienko,
Galiya Kh. Kitaeva,
Florian Sedlmeir,
Gerd Leuchs,
Harald G. L. Schwefel
We study a calibration scheme for terahertz wave nonlinear-optical detectors based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Contrary to the usual low wavelength pump in the green, we report here on the observation of spontaneous parametric down-conversion originating from an in-growth poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a continuous wave 50 mW, 795 nm diode laser system, phase-matched to a terahertz frequency idler wave. Such a system is more compact and allows for longer poling periods as well as lower losses in the crystal. Filtering the pump radiation by a rubidium-87 vapor cell allowed the frequency-angular spectra to be obtained down to similar to 0.5 THz or similar to 1 nm shift from the pump radiation line. The presence of an amplified spontaneous emission "pedestal" in the diode laser radiation spectrum significantly hampers the observation of spontaneous parametric down-conversion spectra, in contrast to conventional narrowband gas lasers. Benefits of switching to longer pump wavelengths are pointed out, such as collinear optical-terahertz phase-matching in bulk crystals. (c) 2018 Author(s).
Selective Coupling Enhances Harmonic Generation of Whispering-Gallery Modes
Luke S. Trainor,
Florian Sedlmeir,
Christian Peuntinger,
Harald G. L. Schwefel
We demonstrate second-harmonic generation (SHG) in an x-cut congruent lithium niobate (LN) whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonator. First, we show theoretically that independent control of the coupling of the pump and signal modes is optimal for high conversion rates. A coupling scheme based on our earlier work [F. Sedlmeir et al., Phys. Rev. Applied 7, 024029 (2017)] is then implemented experimentally to verify this improvement. Thereby, we are able to improve on the efficiency of SHG by more than an order of magnitude by selectively outcoupling using a LN prism, utilizing the birefringence of it and the resonator in kind. This method is also applicable to other nonlinear processes in WGM resonators.
Polarimetric purity and the concept of degree of polarization
José J. Gil,
Andreas Norrman,
Ari T. Friberg,
Tero Setälä
The concept of degree of polarization for electromagnetic waves, in its general three-dimensional version, is revisited in the light of the implications of the recent findings on the structure of polarimetric purity and of the existence of nonregular states of polarization [J. J. Gil et al., Phys Rev. A 95, 053856 (2017)]. From the analysis of the characteristic decomposition of a polarization matrix R into an incoherent convex combination of (1) a pure state Rp, (2) a middle state Rm given by an equiprobable mixture of two eigenstates of R, and (3) a fully unpolarized state Ru−3D, it is found that, in general, Rm exhibits nonzero circular and linear degrees of polarization. Therefore, the degrees of linear and circular polarization of R cannot always be assigned to the single totally polarized component Rp. It is shown that the parameter P3D proposed formerly by Samson [J. C. Samson, Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 34, 403 (1973)] takes into account, in a proper and objective form, all the contributions to polarimetric purity, namely, the contributions to the linear and circular degrees of polarization of R as well as to the stability of the plane containing its polarization ellipse. Consequently, P3D constitutes a natural representative of the degree of polarimetric purity. Some implications for the common convention for the concept of two-dimensional degree of polarization are also analyzed and discussed.
Simple factorization of unitary transformations
Hubert de Guise,
Olivia Di Matteo,
Luis Sanchez-Soto
We demonstrate a method for general linear optical networks that allows one to factorize any SU(n) matrix in terms of two SU(n−1) blocks coupled by an SU(2) entangling beam splitter. The process can be recursively continued in an efficient way, ending in a tidy arrangement of SU(2) transformations. The method hinges only on a linear relationship between input and output states, and can thus be applied to a variety of scenarios, such as microwaves, acoustics, and quantum fields.
A Holography-Based Modal Wavefront Sensor for the Precise Positioning of a Light Emitter Using a High-Resolution Computer-Generated Hologram
Florian Loosen,
Johannes Stehr,
Lucas Alber,
Irina Harder,
Norbert Lindlein
In certain applications, modal wavefront sensors (MWFSs) can outperform zonal wavefront sensors, which are widely used due to their high flexibility. In this paper, a holography-based MWFS as described is developed for the fast position control of a light emitter in a deep parabolic mirror. The light source is located in the vicinity of the focal point. Instead of Zernike polynomials, more complex phase functions, which are related to certain dislocations of the light source are used as detector modes. The performance of the sensor is verified with a test setup, where the test wavefront is generated by a spatial light modulator instead of a real parabolic mirror. The design and fabrication of the required high-resolution holographic element is described and an easy way of multiplexing several single mode sensors is demonstrated.
Mutual Unbiasedness in Coarse-Grained Continuous Variables
Daniel S. Tasca,
Piero Sánchez,
Stephen P. Walborn,
Łukasz Rudnicki
The notion of mutual unbiasedness for coarse-grained measurements of quantum continuous variable systems is considered. It is shown that while the procedure of “standard” coarse graining breaks the mutual unbiasedness between conjugate variables, this desired feature can be theoretically established and experimentally observed in periodic coarse graining. We illustrate our results in an optics experiment implementing Fraunhofer diffraction through a periodic diffraction grating, finding excellent agreement with the derived theory. Our results are an important step in developing a formal connection between discrete and continuous variable quantum mechanics.
Broadband bright twin beams and their upconversion
Maria Chekhova,
Semen Germanskiy,
Dmitri Horoshko,
Galiya Kitaeva,
Mikhail Kolobov,
Gerd Leuchs,
Chris Phillips,
Pavel Prudkovskii
We report on the observation of broadband (40 THz) bright twin beams through high-gain parametric downconversion in an aperiodically poled lithium niobate crystal. The output photon number is shown to scale exponentially with the pump power and not with the pump amplitude, as in homogeneous crystals. Photon number correlations and the number of frequency/temporal modes are assessed by spectral covariance measurements. By using sum-frequency generation on the surface of a non-phase-matched crystal, we measure a cross-correlation peak with the temporal width of 90 fs.
Quantum Error-Correcting Codes for Qudit Amplitude Damping
Markus Grassl,
Linghang Kong,
Zhaohui Wei,
Zhang-Qi Yin,
Bei Zeng
IEEE Transactions on Information Theory
64
(6)
4674-4685
(2018)
| Preprint
| Journal
| PDF
Traditional quantum error-correcting codes are designed for the depolarizing channel modeled by generalized Pauli errors occurring with equal probability. Amplitude damping channels model, in general, the decay process of a multilevel atom or energy dissipation of a bosonic system at zero temperature. We discuss quantum error-correcting codes adapted to amplitude damping channels for higher dimensional systems (qudits). For multi-level atoms, we consider a natural kind<br>of decay process, and for bosonic systems,we consider the qudit amplitude damping channel obtained by truncating the Fock basis of the bosonic modes to a<br>certain maximum occupation number. We construct families of single-error-correcting quantum codes that can be used for both cases. Our codes have larger code dimensions than the previously known<br>single-error-correcting codes of the same lengths. Additionally, we present families of multi-error correcting codes for these two channels, as well as<br>generalizations of our construction technique to error-correcting codes for the qutrit V and Lambda channels.<br>
Printing of Large-Scale, Flexible, Long-Term Stable Dielectric Mirrors with Suppressed Side Interferences
Carina Bronnbauer,
Arne Riecke,
Marius Adler,
Julian Hornich,
Gerhard Schunk,
Christoph J. Brabec,
Karen Forberich
Dielectric mirrors are wavelength-selective mirrors which are based on thin film interference effects. Their optical band can precisely be adjusted in width, position, and reflectance by the refractive index of the applied materials, the layers' thicknesses, and the amount of deposited layers. Nowadays, they are a well-known light management tool for efficiency enhancement in, for example, semitransparent organic solar cells (OSCs) and light guiding in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, most of the dielectric mirrors are still fabricated by lab-scale techniques such as spin-coating or physical vapor deposition under vacuum. Large-scale, fully printed (maximum 20 x 20 cm(2)) dielectric mirrors with adjustable reflectance characteristics are fabricated, using temperatures of maximum 50 degrees C and alcohol-based inks. According to the moderate processing conditions they can be easily deposited not only on rigid glass substrates but also on flexible foils. They show high stability against humidity, light irradiation, and temperature, positioning themselves as good candidates for applications in OLEDs and OSCs. Eventually, by simulations and experiments it is verified that a moderate degree of variations in layer thickness and surface roughness can suppress side interference fringes, while not impacting the main transmittance minimum or the main reflection maximum, respectively.
"Twisted' electrons
Hugo Larocque,
Ido Kaminer,
Vincenzo Grillo,
Gerd Leuchs,
Miles J. Padgett,
Robert W. Boyd,
Mordechai Segev,
Ebrahim Karimi
Electrons have played a significant role in the development of many fields of physics during the last century. The interest surrounding them mostly involved their wave-like features prescribed by the quantum theory. In particular, these features correctly predict the behaviour of electrons in various physical systems including atoms, molecules, solid-state materials, and even in free space. Ten years ago, new breakthroughs were made, arising from the new ability to bestow orbital angular momentum (OAM) to the wave function of electrons. This quantity, in conjunction with the electron's charge, results in an additional magnetic property. Owing to these features, OAM-carrying, or twisted, electrons can effectively interact with magnetic fields in unprecedented ways and have motivated materials scientists to find new methods for generating twisted electrons and measuring their OAM content. Here, we provide an overview of such techniques along with an introduction to the exciting dynamics of twisted electrons.
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