We present an experimental set-up to generate laser beams with locally varying polarization distribution. In a linear set-up, a radially polarized beam of high quality regarding intensity distribution, polarization and phase-front distortion is generated. This beam can be used for tight focusing. Further applications are discussed.
Quantum information with continuous variables
SL Braunstein,
P van Loock
REVIEWS OF MODERN PHYSICS
77
(2)
513-577
(2005)
| Journal
Quantum information is a rapidly advancing area of interdisciplinary research. It may lead to real-world applications for communication and computation unavailable without the exploitation of quantum properties such as nonorthogonality or entanglement. This article reviews the progress in quantum information based on continuous quantum variables, with emphasis on quantum optical implementations in terms of the quadrature amplitudes of the electromagnetic field.
Detecting two-party quantum correlations in quantum-key-distribution
protocols
A necessary precondition for secure quantum key distribution is that sender and receiver can prove the presence of entanglement in a quantum state that is effectively distributed between them. In order to deliver this entanglement proof one can use the class of entanglement witness (EW) operators that can be constructed from the available measurements results. This class of EWs can be used to provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of quantum correlations even when a quantum state cannot be completely reconstructed. The set of optimal EWs for two well-known entanglement-based (EB) schemes, the six-state and the four-state EB protocols, has been obtained recently [M. Curty , Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 217903 (2004).] Here we complete these results, now showing specifically the analysis for the case of prepare and measure (PM) schemes. For this, we investigate the signal states and detection methods of the four-state and the two-state PM schemes. For each of these protocols we obtain a reduced set of EWs. More importantly, each set of EWs can be used to derive a necessary and sufficient condition to prove that quantum correlations are present in these protocols.
The effect of dissipation on nonclassical states of the radiation field
G Leuchs,
UL Andersen
LASER PHYSICS
15
(1)
129-134
(2005)
We point out similarities in the evolution of different types of nonclassical light fields. Generally, Fock and cat states are considered to decay much faster under dissipation than do squeezed states. We connect measurements of the intensity correlation function of nonclassical light to the second moment of the photon number distribution function. It is shown that all these nonclassical fields behave in a similar manner when one is looking at an appropriate property. Finally it is shown how the electronic-detection noise floor, typically present in measurements of the variance of a photocurrent, can be eliminated based upon a procedure that is well-established for intensity correlation measurements.
THz collective oscillations of ballistic electrons in wide potential
wells: Bridging classical transport with quantum dynamics
M Eckardt,
M Betz,
A Schwanhausser,
S Trumm,
F Sotier,
L Robledo,
S Malzer,
S Muller,
K Unterrainer, et al.
Parabolic shaped potential wells of a width between 120 nm and 250 nm are defined in a band gap engineered p(+)-n-p(+) heterostructure. After femtosecond photoinjection of carriers near the boundary of the well, electrons are found to coherently oscillate across the well with the classical harmonic-oscillator frequency of a few THz instead of performing the intuitively expected unidirectional relaxation towards the bottom of the well. Most strikingly, the coherence of this periodic electron motion is maintained despite multiple phonon scattering events. This novel transport regime is predicted by detailed Monte Carlo simulations and verified by analyzing the femtosecond transmission of the heterostructure as well as by directly detecting the THz radiation emitted by the oscillating electron-hole dipole. By decreasing the well width, this semi-classical ballistic transport regime is expected to converge towards a quantum-beat regime.
Optimum splitting ratio for amplifier noise reduction by an asymmetric
nonlinear optical loop mirror
We theoretically and experimentally analyze the influence of the splitting ratio and the input power on the noise reduction capability of an asymmetric nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) for different input noise levels. An easy method to calculate the optimum parameters for noise reduction is also presented. The best noise reduction is found at NOLM input powers at which the nonlinear transfer function has a slope close to zero. Additionally, the splitting ratio of the NOLM has to be adapted to its input noise level to suppress amplitude fluctuations effectively. Since the noise reduction by the NOLM is due to the Kerr nonlinearity, which has a timescale below a few femtoseconds, the noise reduction is applicable to short pulses in the picosecond and femtosecond range. This makes the NOLM applicable as an optical regenerator in an optical data transmission system at high bit rates, such as 160 GBit/s.
Luminescence of double quantum wells subject to in-plane magnetic fields
M Orlita,
R Grill,
P Hlidek,
M Zvara,
GH Dohler,
S Malzer,
M Byszewski
We report on photoluminescence (PL) measurements of a symmetric GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum well (DQW) in high magnetic fields. For this study, a selectively contacted p-delta n-DQW-delta n-p structure was chosen, allowing an independent tuning of the electron density in the DQW and thus a creation of a two-dimensional electron gas. Our attention was focused on phenomena in in-plane magnetic fields, where the field-induced depopulation of the antibonding subband observable in the PL spectra as a so-called N-type kink was predicted by Huang and Lyo (HL) [Phys. Rev. B 59, 7600 (1999)]. Whereas the equivalent behavior has been observed several times in the electric transport measurements and a proper theoretical description has been found, to the best of our knowledge, no PL experiment in a direct comparison with the theoretical model developed by HL has ever been published. We carried out a self-consistent calculation based on their model and achieved a good agreement with our experimental results. Additionally, the influence of the excitonic interaction on the PL spectra, not taken into account by HL, is also discussed. This enables us to explain small deviations from the HL theory. The interpretation of the in-plane magnetic field measurements is supported by the experiment with the magnetic field in the perpendicular orientation that allows a sufficiently accurate estimation of the electron density in the DQW. Distinctive renormalization effects of DQW subbands at various electron densities are also observed and discussed.
Intercept-resend attacks in the Bennett-Brassard 1984
quantum-key-distribution protocol with weak coherent pulses
Unconditional security proofs of the Bennett-Brassard 1984 protocol of quantum key distribution have been obtained recently. These proofs cover also practical implementations that utilize weak coherent pulses in the four signal polarizations. Proven secure rates leave open the possibility that new proofs or new public discussion protocols will obtain larger rates over increased distance. In this paper we investigate limits to the error rate and signal losses that can be tolerated by future protocols and proofs.
THz-photomixer based on quasi-ballistic transport
GH Dohler,
F Renner,
O Klar,
M Eckardt,
A Schwanhausser,
S Malzer,
D Driscoll,
M Hanson,
AC Gossard, et al.
SEMICONDUCTOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
20
(7)
S178-S190
(2005)
| Journal
We report on a novel concept for THz photomixers with high conversion efficiency up to several THz. In contrast to the conventional pin photomixer we can overcome the trade-off between either optimizing transit-time or RC-roll-off. Using quasi-ballistic transport in nano-pin-diodes the transport path can be optimized regarding both path length and transit time. Independently, the capacitance can be kept small by using a sufficiently large number of optimized nano-pin-diodes in series. The concept is presented in detail and first experimental results are reported which corroborate our theoretical expectations.
Polarized photovoltage spectroscopy study of InAs/GaAs(001) quantum dot
ensembles
J Bhattacharyya,
S Ghosh,
S Malzer,
GH Dohler,
BM Arora
We have studied self-assembled InAs quantum dot (QD) ensembles on GaAs(001) substrate using polarized photovoltage spectroscopy. The photovoltage spectrum shows four prominent QD related features whose nature differs for probe light incident along [001] and polarized parallel to [110] and [1 (1) over bar0] directions. The polarization anisotropy suggests that for the lowest energy transition there is only a change in the oscillator strength with change in polarization, while for the higher energy transitions there is also an apparent shift in the transition energy. By comparison with simulations of the absorption spectrum, we show that the main features of the observed polarization anisotropy can be understood on the basis of a model where an anisotropic two dimensional harmonic oscillator potential represents the lateral confinement of the carriers within the QD in the (001) plane. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.
Optimal unambiguous state discrimination of two density matrices: Lower
bound and class of exact solutions
Recently the problem of unambiguous state discrimination of mixed quantum states has attracted much attention. So far, bounds on the optimum success probability have been derived [T. Rudolph, R. W. Spekkens, and P. S. Turner, Phys. Rev. A 68, 010301(R) (2003)]. For two mixed states they are given in terms of the fidelity. Here we give tighter bounds as well as necessary and sufficient conditions for two mixed states to reach these bounds. Moreover we construct the corresponding optimal measurement strategies. With this result, we provide analytical solutions for unambiguous discrimination of a class of generic mixed states. This goes beyond known results which are all reducible to some pure state case. Additionally, we show that examples exist where the bounds cannot be reached.
NOLM-based RZ-DPSK signal regeneration
AG Striegler,
M Meissner,
K Cvecek,
K Sponsel,
G Leuchs,
B Schmauss
We present a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM)-based 2R-regenerator setup, which signals modulated in phase-sensitive modulation formats. In a conventional NOLM, fluctuations of the signal amplitude are converted into phase fluctuations. Therefore, it is not suitable for regeneration of signals, modulated in formats such as differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) or duobinary. In this letter, we present a modified NOLM setup for 2R-regeneration taking return-to-zero DPSK as an example.
Efficient polarization squeezing in optical fibers
We report on a novel and efficient source of polarization squeezing that uses a single pass through an optical fiber. Using the fiber's two orthogonal polarization axes produces two identical squeezed beams. Combining these in a Stokes measurement generates polarization squeezing of up to 5.1 ± 0.3 dB. Furthermore, this scheme enables us to directly measure, for both polarizations, the noise of any given quadrature. © 2005 Optical Society of America.
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