Squeezing light with optomechanical and spin-light quantum interfaces

Entanglement plays a crucial role in the development of quantum-enabled devices. One significant objective is the deterministic creation and distribution of entangled states, achieved, for example, through a mechanical oscillator interacting with confined electromagnetic fields. In this study, we explore a cavity resonator containing a two-sided perfect mirror. Although the mirror separates the cavity modes into two independent confined electromagnetic fields, the radiation pressure interaction gives rise to high-order effective interactions across all subsystems. Depending on the chosen resonant conditions, which are also related to the position of the mirror, we study 2n2n-photon entanglement generation and bilateral photon pair emission. Demonstrating the non-classical nature of the mechanical oscillator, we provide a pathway to control these phenomena, opening potential applications in quantum technologies. Looking ahead, similar integrated devices could be used to entangle subsystems across vastly different energy scales, such as microwave and optical photons.

Cavity optomechanical systems have become a topic of great interest in recent years, and the coupled-cavity model is also a classic theoretical framework. This paper aims to construct a coupledcavity optomechanical system to study induced transparency, Fano resonance, and fast-slow light effects in such a system. By transferring phenomena typically studied in a single optical cavity to a coupled-cavity system, we analyze specific phenomena detected in optical and microwave cavities, such as transmission and absorption spectra, to investigate induced transparency. We also examine Fano resonance in the model by varying detuning, and study fast-slow light effects through group velocity. This paper first constructs the corresponding physical model, as shown in Figure 1. Based on the theoretical model, a reasonable Hamiltonian is proposed. By introducing appropriate dissipation and fluctuation noise terms, the Langevin equations of motion are derived. Next, the Langevin equations are linearized, and the resonant terms are retained to obtain <i>O</i><sub>+</sub> . The amplitude of the field modes is then derived using the input-output relations. Following the experimental data from referenced literature, a numerical simulation program is implemented in Mathematica. By substituting the relevant parameters and performing calculations, the results are obtained through simulation. For the first time, the interactions among photons, magnons, microwaves, and phonons— as well as the interplay between photons in the two cavities—are investigated in a coupled cavity optomagnomechanical system. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), Fano resonance, and fast-slow light effects are studied in this coupled-cavity optomagnomechanical framework. Phenomena typically examined in a single optical cavity are extended to the coupled-cavity system, with specific observations analyzed separately in the optical and microwave cavities. When <i>δ</i>=<i>ω</i><i><sub>b</sub></i>, the absorption spectrum splits, and the absorption peak decreases from its maximum to its minimum. This phenomenon arises from the disruption of quantum interference effects. The resonance condition suppresses the generation of Fano resonance. At the resonant frequency <i>ω</i><i><sub>0</sub></i>, the group delay is greater than zero, indicating slow-light propagation, and this effect is enhanced with increasing coupling strength. Additionally, a group delay of τ is achieved. Meanwhile, on either side of the resonant frequency, the group delay peaks exhibit a decreasing positive value and an increasing negative value, respectively, signifying a gradual weakening of the slow-light effect and a corresponding enhancement of the fast-light effect. This paper investigates the MIT, MMIT, and OMIT windows in a coupled-cavity optomagnomechanical (OMM) system under a strong control field and weak probe field. The MMIT phenomenon is observed through nonlinear phonon-magnon interactions. Additionally, the photon-magnon interaction in the microwave cavity leads to MIT, while OMIT is achieved via the radiation pressure interaction between photons and nonlinear phonons in the optical cavity. The frequency of the probe field is tuned to interact with both the microwave and optical cavities. When the probe field couples with the microwave cavity, its absorption at the resonant frequency is significantly suppressed under optomechanical coupling, resulting in a pronounced optical switching effect on transmission. We analyze the asymmetric Fano resonance phenomenon, which reflects the existence of quantum interference mechanisms within the system and influences the fast- and slow-light conversion processes. Furthermore, by selecting appropriate coupling parameters, not only can the fast- and slow-light effects be enhanced, but dynamic switching between them can also be achieved.

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond have emerged as a focal point in quantum technology research due to their exceptional optical and electronic spin properties. This discovery not only expands our understanding of the material properties of diamond but also paves the way for practical applications in quantum technology. As a solid-state spin quantum system characterized by long electron spin coherence times and stable performance, NV color centers offer distinct advantages in quantum information processing. Recent advancements have enabled the fabrication of high-quality NV color centers with controllable concentration and spatial positioning through techniques such as in situ doping, ion implantation, and hybrid approaches. These technological breakthroughs have significantly enhanced the efficiency of NV center fabrication, thereby establishing a robust foundation for their widespread application in quantum sensing and quantum information technologies. This review provides a compre­hensive introduction to the structure and fundamental properties of NV color centers in diamond, an in-depth analysis of recent progress in their fabrication techniques, and a critical discussion of their current applications in quantum science and technology. Additionally, the challenges, open questions, and future research directions in NV color center studies are addressed.

Entanglement is an essential property of multipartite quantum systems, characterized by the inseparability of quantum states of objects regardless of their spatial separation. Generation of entanglement between increasingly macroscopic and disparate systems is an ongoing effort in quantum science, as it enables hybrid quantum networks, quantum-enhanced sensing and probing of the fundamental limits of quantum theory. The disparity of hybrid systems and the vulnerability of quantum correlations have thus far hampered the generation of macroscopic hybrid entanglement. Here, we generate an entangled state between the motion of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator and a collective atomic spin oscillator, as witnessed by an Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen variance below the separability limit, 0.83 ± 0.02 < 1. The mechanical oscillator is a millimetre-size dielectric membrane and the spin oscillator is an ensemble of 109 atoms in a magnetic field. Light propagating through the two spatially separated systems generates entanglement because the collective spin plays the role of an effective negative-mass reference frame and provides—under ideal circumstances—a back-action-free subspace; in the experiment, quantum back-action is suppressed by 4.6 dB. Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entanglement between a millimetre-size mechanical membrane oscillator and a collective atomic spin oscillator formed by an ensemble of caesium atoms is achieved, although the two systems are spatially separated by one metre.

The performance of optical measurement systems is ultimately limited by the quantum nature of light. In this thesis, two techniques for circumventing the standard quantum measurement limits are modelled and tested experimentally. These techniques are electrooptic control and the use of squeezed light. An optical parametric amplifier is used to generate squeezing at 1064nm. The parametric amplifier is pumped by the output of a second harmonic generation cavity, which in turn is pumped by a Nd:YAG laser. By using various frequency locking techniques, the quadrature phase of the squeezing is stabilised, therefore making our squeezed source suitable for long term measurements. The best recorded squeezing is 5.5dB (or 70%) below the standard quantum limit. The stability of our experiment makes it possible to perform a time domain measurement of photocurrent correlations due to squeezing. This technique allows direct visualisation of the quantum correlations caused by squeezed light. On the road to developing our squeezed source, methods of frequency locking optical cavities are investigated. In particular, the tilt locking method is tested on the second harmonic generation cavity used in the squeezing experiment. The standard method for locking this cavity involves the use of modulation sidebands, therefore leading to a noisy second harmonic wave. The modulation free tilt-locking method, which is based on spatial mode interference, is shown to be a reliable alternative. In some cases, electro-optic control may be used to suppress quantum measurement noise. Electro-optic feedback is investigated as a method for suppressing radiation pressure noise in an optical cavity. Modelling shows that the ‘squashed’ light inside a feedback loop can reduce radiation pressure noise by a factor of two below the standard quantum limit. This result in then applied to a thermal noise detection system. The reduction in radiation pressure noise is shown to give improved thermal noise sensitivity, therefore proving that the modified noise properties of light inside a feedback loop can be used to reduce quantum measurement noise. Another method of electro-optic control is electro-optic feedforward. This is also investigated as a technique for manipulating quantum measurements. It is used to achieve noiseless amplification of a phase quadrature signal. The results clearly show that a feedforward loop is a phase sensitive amplifier that breaks the quantum limit for phase insensitive amplification. This experiment is the first demonstration of noiseless phase quadrature amplification. Finally, feedforward is explored as a tool for improving the performance of quantum nondemolition measurements. Modelling shows that feedforward is an effective method of increasing signal transfer efficiency. Feedforward is also shown to work well in conjunction with meter squeezing. Together, meter squeezing and feedforward provide a comprehensive quantum nondemolition enhancement package. Using the squeezed light from our optical parametric amplifier, an experimental demonstration of the enhancement scheme is shown to achieve record signal transfer efficiency of Ts + Tm = 1.81.

Radiation pressure can be used to enable optomechanical control and manipulation of the quantum state of a mechanical oscillator. Optomechanical interaction can also be mediated by photothermal effects which, although frequently overlooked, may compete with radiation pressure interaction. Understanding of how these phenomena affect the coherent exchange of information between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom is often underdeveloped, particularly in mesoscale high-power systems where photothermal effects can fully dominate the interaction. Here we report an effective theoretical model to predict and successfully reconstruct the dynamics of a unique optomechanical system: a cavity-enhanced setup for macroscopic optical levitation, where a free-standing mirror acts as the optomechanical oscillator. We decompose the photothermal interaction into two opposing light-induced effects, photothermal expansion, and thermo-optic effects. We then reconstruct a heuristic model that links the intracavity field to four types of cavity length changes caused by acoustic (), centre of mass (), photothermal () and thermo-optic () displacements. This offers refined predictions with a higher degree of agreement with experimental results. Our work provides a means to precisely model the photothermal effect of high power optomechanical systems, as well as for developing more precise photothermal modeling of photonics systems for precision sensing and quantum measurements.

Quantum squeezing, as a typical quantum effect, is an important resource for many applications in quantum technologies. Here we propose a scheme for generating quantum squeezing, including the ponderomotive squeezing and the mechanical squeezing, in an optomechanical system, in which the radiation-pressure coupling and the mechanical spring constant are modulated periodically. In this system, the radiation-pressure interaction can be enhanced remarkably by the modulation-induced mechanical parametric amplification. Moreover, the effective phonon noise can be suppressed completely by introducing a squeezed vacuum reservoir. This ultimately leads to that our scheme can achieve a controllable quantum squeezing. Numerical calculations show that our scheme is experimentally realizable with current technologies.

Sympathetic cooling with ultracold atoms and atomic ions enables ultralow temperatures in systems where direct laser or evaporative cooling is not possible. It has so far been limited to the cooling of other microscopic particles, with masses up to 90 times larger than that of the coolant atom. Here, we use ultracold atoms to sympathetically cool the vibrations of a Si3N4 nanomembrane, the mass of which exceeds that of the atomic ensemble by a factor of 10(10). The coupling of atomic and membrane vibrations is mediated by laser light over a macroscopic distance and is enhanced by placing the membrane in an optical cavity. We observe cooling of the membrane vibrations from room temperature to 650 ± 230 mK, exploiting the large atom-membrane cooperativity of our hybrid optomechanical system. With technical improvements, our scheme could provide ground-state cooling and quantum control of low-frequency oscillators such as nanomembranes or levitated nanoparticles, in a regime where purely optomechanical techniques cannot reach the ground state.

A nonrelativistic Hamiltonian describing interaction between a mechanical degree of freedom and radiation pressure is commonly used as an ultimate tool for studying system behavior in opto-mechanics. This Hamiltonian is derived from the equation of motion of a mechanical degree of freedom and the optical wave equation with time-varying boundary conditions. We show that this approach is deficient for studying higher order nonlinear effects in an open resonant opto-mechanical system. Opto-mechanical interaction induces a large mechanical nonlinearity resulting from a strong dependence of the power of the light confined in the optical cavity on the mechanical degrees of freedom of the cavity due to coupling with electromagnetic continuum. This dissipative nonlinearity cannot be inferred from the standard Hamiltonian formalism.

Feedback-assisted ponderomotive squeezing

Entanglement-based quantum science exploits subtle properties of quantum mechanics into applications such as quantum computing, sensing, and metrology. The emerging route for quantum computing applications, which calls for ultracompact, integrated, and scalable architecture, aims at on-chip entangled qubits. In this context, quantum entanglement among atomic qubits was achieved via cold-controlled collisions which are only significant at subwavelength separations. However, as other manifolds of quantum state engineering require single-site addressability and controlled manipulation of the individual qubit using diffraction-limited optics, entanglement of qubits separated by macroscopic distances at the chip level is still an outstanding challenge. Here, we report a novel platform for on-chip quantum state engineering by harnessing the extraordinary light-molding capabilities of metasurfaces. We theoretically demonstrate quantum entanglement between two qubits trapped on a chip and separated by macroscopic distances, by engineering their coherent and dissipative interactions via the metasurface. Spatially scalable interaction channels offered by the metasurface enable robust generation of entanglement, with large values of concurrence and remarkable revival from sudden death. The metasurface route to quantum state engineering opens a new paradigm for on-chip quantum science and technologies.

We discuss protocols for mapping quantum states of light onto atomic spins, including the recently demonstrated quantum teleportation between light and matter. We show how these protocols can be improved using spin and light squeezing.

We demonstrate an optomechanical system with quantum cooperativity C q = 4g 2 /κγ >> 1 already at moderate cryogenic temperature [1]. It is realised as a membrane-in-the-middle system [2] with a high-stress silicon nitride membrane. Here, y = k B T/ħQ is the quantum decoherence rate of the mechanical system due to its thermal bath at temperature T∼4 K, and Q∼107 the mechanical quality factor. In this regime, the quantum backaction of the optical measurement dominates over the thermal Langevin noise. As a consequence, optical measurements create quantum correlations between the optical and mechanical degrees of freedom, which are eventually measured as sub-vacuum noise (−2.4 dB) of the light emerging form the cavity (ponderomotive squeezing [3]). We investigate this effect in a multimode setting, in which we observe optically-induced hybridisation of mechanical modes, and the generation of squeezed light by hybrid modes [1].

This paper describes and provides examples of a presentation, ‘Quantum for High School and College Students’ created to give to high school and college students to encourage them to consider using quantum science and technologies in their studies and careers. Some thoughts on critical thinking about abstract subjects and mentoring capture the attention of the student audience, which is followed by the main topics. The presentation includes an introduction to quantum science (including a laser diffraction demonstration), quantum computers and cybersecurity, many more quantum science and technology applications, education and career pathways that use quantum science and on-line resources. There is a very brief history of quantum science, an outline and nine examples of the many fields of study and endeavor, and a couple (optional) references to how governments are supporting these efforts. Some specific online references are provided to company and university websites where substantial information can be found for students seeking to learn more about all thing’s quantum with some focus on quantum computing. The modifiable Power Point presentation can be downloaded from the author’s website, complete with lecture notes and hotlinks to all the references. A specific webpage has been created and organized so that it can be accessed by potential presenters and students seeking to learn more about the topics. The presentation can be given by other volunteers including quantum graduate students, professors, and high school teachers. The presentation and on-line resources may be very useful to SPIE members and SPIE Student Chapters seeking to recruit students to their companies and universities. Other related professional societies, such as the American Institute for Physics and their Society of Physics Students may also find this useful.

A mechanically compliant element can be set into motion by the interaction with light. In turn, this light-driven motion can give rise to ponderomotive correlations in the electromagnetic field. In optomechanical systems, cavities are often employed to enhance these correlations up to the point where they generate quantum squeezing of light. In free-space scenarios, where no cavity is used, observation of squeezing remains possible but challenging due to the weakness of the interaction, and has not been reported so far. Here, we measure the ponderomotively squeezed state of light scattered by a nanoparticle levitated in a free-space optical tweezer. We observe a reduction of the optical fluctuations by up to 25% below the vacuum level, in a bandwidth of about 15kHz. Our results are explained well by a linearized dipole interaction between the nanoparticle and the electromagnetic continuum. These ponderomotive correlations open the door to quantum-enhanced sensing and metrology with levitated systems, such as force measurements below the standard quantum limit.