Average Photon Research Articles

Assessment of the global applicability of three leading indices that characterize the spectral distribution of solar irradiance impacting various photovoltaic technologies

At each instant, the actual solar irradiance has a specific spectral distribution that most generally differs substantially from the standardized reference conditions under which photovoltaic (PV) cells are rated. To help reduce the dimensionality of the calculations needed to quantify the spectral effects on PV cells, various spectral indices have been introduced in the literature to simply characterize the incident spectral distribution with a single number. In previous studies, diverging conclusions have been reached about whether or not a single number can effectively represent a specific spectral distribution. This disagreement needs to be resolved before the usage of spectral indices can be considered best practice. To that effect, this study proposes a novel modeling approach. Here, three spectral indices (Average Photon Energy, APE; Blue Fraction, BF; and Useful Fraction, UF) are critically evaluated and compared using the SMARTS radiative transfer model and a large database of atmospheric inputs that are representative of the vast diversity of possible conditions worldwide, thus avoiding the rarity and limitations of costly experimental measurements. A total of 28,260 pairs of direct normal and global horizontal spectra are obtained, from which the three indices are calculated over six different wavebands that characterize different PV technologies. The key variables that have a significant impact on the indices are found to be: air mass, aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, and precipitable water. Using a variety of tests to evaluate the behavior of the three indices relatively to the reference direct and global spectra, results show that UF is prone to anomalous variations under a variety of circumstances. APE and BF behave similarly and reliably, but APE is found more responsive to even small changes in atmospheric conditions, and is thus preferable. A critical finding is that none of the indices can be considered bijective because compensations between red-shifting and blue-shifting atmospheric processes often result in different spectral distributions having the same index value.

Surface Plasmon Polaritions via Squeezed Vacuum States

This paper investigates a dielectric under a squeezed vacuum state, a thermal field and a normal vacuum state. The dielectric atoms are considered in a three-level lambda type configuration, where a weak probe field induces and generates surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the silver and dielectric interface. Therefore, to get deeper insights into the dispersion and absorption spectra, the propagation length and the skin depth, we investigate the system’s coherence. Hence, we demonstrate that the strong laser used to couple the intermediate level to the upper excited state drastically affects the generated SPPs wavelength at the interface. Additionally, the system properties are fully controlled by the average photon number, the thermal field, the normal vacuum and the squeezed vacuum state. Finally, in an attempt to elaborate a straightforward technique that manipulates the Lsp ( surface plasmon length ) distance we control the system by simultaneously tuning the phase and the control field in a particular detuning region. Our results might be of great interest to the engineering of miniature nano-photonic devices and circuits requiring sub-wavelength property.

Linking lidar multiple scattering profiles to snow depth and snow density: an analytical radiative transfer analysis and the implications for remote sensing of snow

Lidar multiple scattering measurements provide the probability distribution of the distance laser light travels inside snow. Based on an analytic two-stream radiative transfer solution, the present study demonstrates why/how these lidar measurements can be used to derive snow depth and snow density. In particular, for a laser wavelength with little snow absorption, an analytical radiative transfer solution is leveraged to prove that the physical snow depth is half of the average distance photons travel inside snow and that the relationship linking lidar measurements and the extinction coefficient of the snow is valid. Theoretical formulas that link lidar measurements to the extinction coefficient and the effective grain size of snow are provided. Snow density can also be derived from the multi-wavelength lidar measurements of the snow extinction coefficient and snow effective grain size. Alternatively, lidars can provide the most direct snow density measurements and the effective discrimination between snow and trees by adding vibrational Raman scattering channels.

Preparation of squeezed light with low average photon number based on dynamic Casimir effect

It is well known that squeezed states can be produced by nonlinear optical processes, such as parametric amplification and four wave mixing, in which two photons are created or annihilated simultaneously. Since the Hamiltonian of the dynamic Casimir effect contains a 2 and a +2, photons in such a process are also generated or annihilated in pairs. Here we propose to get squeezed light through the dynamic Casimir effect. Specifically, we demonstrate it from the full quantum perspective and the semiclassical perspective successively. Different from previous work, we focus on generating squeezed states with the lowest average photon number, because such squeezed states have better quantum properties. For the full quantum picture, that is, phonons also have quantum properties, when the system is initially in the excited state of phonons, squeezed light cannot be generated during the evolution, but the light field can collapse to the squeezed state by measuring the state of phonons. When the phonon is treated as a classical quantity, that is, the cavity wall is continuously driven, squeezed light with the minimum average photon number will be generated in the case of off-resonance. This will play a positive role in better regulating the photon state generated by the dynamic Casimir system in the future.

Exact dynamics of multimode periodic input states in coupled waveguide arrays

In this work, we investigate the quantum state reconstruction of the periodic input state in a 1-D waveguide array. In particular, we consider a single-photon multimode entangled W-state with different periodicities as an input to the array and study the effect of periodicity in the output. For comparison, we also study separable single photon periodic input states. We study the evolution of average photon number and the fidelity of the periodic input state and give the exact solution to investigate the revival of single photon multimode periodic input. Our solution is valid for any number of waveguides in the array. Our findings show the revival of the average photon number and almost complete quantum state reconstruction of the initial multimode entangled state for certain periodicities. The results reported here are significant because multimode-entangled states are essential resources for various applications in the physical implementation of photonic quantum technologies.

A fast tunable driver of light source for the TRIDENT Pathfinder experiment

TRIDENT (The tRopIcal DEep-sea Neutrino Telescope) is a proposed next-generation neutrino telescope to be constructed in the South China Sea. In September 2021, the TRIDENT Pathfinder experiment (TRIDENT EXplorer, T-REX for short) was conducted to evaluate the in-situ optical properties of seawater. The T-REX experiment deployed three digital optical modules at a depth of 3420 meters, including a light emitter module (LEM) and two light receiver modules (LRMs) equipped with photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and cameras to detect light signals. The LEM emits light in pulsing and steady modes. It features a fast tunable driver to activate light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit nanosecond-width light pulses with tunable intensity. The PMTs in the LRM receive single photo-electron (SPE) signals with an average photon number of approximately 0.3 per 1-microsecond time window, which is used to measure the arrival time distribution of the SPE signals. The fast tunable driver can be remotely controlled in real-time by the data acquisition system onboard the research vessel, allowing for convenient adjustments to the driver's parameters and facilitating the acquisition of high-quality experimental data. This paper describes the requirements, design scheme, and test results of the fast tunable driver, highlighting its successful implementation in the T-REX experiment and its potential for future deep-sea experiments.

Protocol Efficiency Using Multiple Level Encoding in Quantum Secure Direct Communication Protocol

One of the objectives of information security is to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the information by ensuring that information is transferred in a way that is secure from any listener or attacker. There was no comparison experiment conducted in earlier studies regarding different level encoding performance towards the multiphoton technique. In Quantum Secure Direct Communication (QSDC), when unpolarized light enters into the polarizer, the light value will be changed into a different value when it hit the Half Wave Plate (HWP) along the quantum communication channel. The multiphoton technique in the earlier study is particular to transmission time for data transfer encoding and extra time for polarizers to change polarization angles, both of which contribute to longer transmission times. With four different sizes of qubits, the three simulation experiments are carried out using Python coding with 2,4 and 8 levels of encoding. Experiment results demonstrate that the most efficient average photon transmission derived from 18 qubit size ranges from 98.71% to 98.73% depending on encoding level. With 18 qubit size, the four-level encoding result has the highest average efficiency, followed by the eight-level and two-level encodings, respectively. 4-level encoding exhibits the highest average photon efficiency between 2 and 8-level encoding.

Investigating pulsed LED effectiveness as an alternative to continuous LED through morpho-physiological evaluation of baby leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. Acephala)

Photoperiod, light intensity, and spectral quantum distribution (SPD) affect plant development and physiology. Light determines morphological signals, influences plant behavior and regulates metabolism in addition to providing energy for photosynthesis. In this experiment, lettuce (Lactuca sativa) was grown in an indoor LED-equipped chamber, operated in a pulsed and continuous mode, with an average photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at a seedling level of 150 µmole s¯¹ m¯², photoperiod of 16 h for growing cycle of 30 days. The primary aim of this study was to observe the effects of varying LED on the growth and quality of the produce. Regardless of the treatments, in both continuous and pulsed LED, an increment in the yield, leaf length and leaf width of lettuce was recorded in comparison to the control, which was managed in a glasshouse under controlled environmental conditions using a winter cropping cycle. In-vitro physiological analysis of lettuce revealed the outperformance of the continuous LED treatment over the pulsed LED as well as the control in terms of total sugars, chlorophyll concentration, carotenoids, phenolic index, and sucrose accumulation. Continuous LED treatment has also resulted in a significant reduction in nitrate content, a commercially vital parameter, making it the most advantageous and effective of all the treatments performed. However, the production of anthocyanins, an antioxidant released during stress, was enhanced under pulsed LED which requires further investigation and improvements to achieve an improved metabolite profile of lettuce with a minimal energy usage and cost.

Ground-state phase diagram, symmetries, excitation spectra and finite-frequency scaling of the two-mode quantum Rabi model

We investigate the two-mode quantum Rabi model (QRM) describing the interaction between a two-level atom and a two-mode cavity field. The quantum phase transitions are found when the ratio η of transition frequency of atom to frequency of cavity field approaches infinity. We apply the Schrieffer–Wolff (SW) transformation to derive the low-energy effective Hamiltonian of the two-mode QRM, thus yielding the critical point and rich phase diagram of quantum phase transitions. The phase diagram consists of four regions: a normal phase, an electric superradiant phase, a magnetic superradiant phase and an electromagnetic superradiant phase. The quantum phase transition between the normal phase and the electric (magnetic) superradiant phase is of second order and associates with the breaking of the discrete Z 2 symmetry. On the other hand, the phase transition between the electric superradiant phase and the magnetic superradiant phase is of first order and relates to the breaking of the continuous U(1) symmetry. Several important physical quantities, for example the excitation energy and average photon number in the four phases, are derived. We find that the excitation spectra exhibit the Nambu–Goldstone mode. We calculate analytically the higher-order correction and finite-frequency exponents of relevant quantities. To confirm the validity of the low-energy effective Hamiltonians analytically derived by us, the finite-frequency scaling relation of the averaged photon numbers is calculated by numerically diagonalizing the two-mode quantum Rabi Hamiltonian.

Performance Analysis of a Repetition Cat Code Architecture: Computing 256-bit Elliptic Curve Logarithm in 9Hours with 126 133 Cat Qubits.

Cat qubits provide appealing building blocks for quantum computing. They exhibit a tunable noise bias yielding an exponential suppression of bit flips with the average photon number and a protection against the remaining phase errors can be ensured by a simple repetition code. We here quantify the cost of a repetition code and provide valuable guidance for the choice of a large scale architecture using cat qubits by realizing a performance analysis based on the computation of discrete logarithms on an elliptic curve with Shor's algorithm. By focusing on a 2D grid of cat qubits with neighboring connectivity, we propose to implement 2-qubit gates via lattice surgery and Toffoli gates with off-line fault-tolerant preparation of magic states through projective measurements and subsequent gate teleportations. All-to-all connectivity between logical qubits is ensured by routing qubits. Assuming a ratio between single- and two-photon losses of 10^{-5} and a cycle time of 500ns, we show concretely that such an architecture can compute a 256-bit elliptic curve logarithm in 9 h with 126 133 cat qubits and on average 19 photons by cat state. We give the details of the realization of Shor's algorithm so that the proposed performance analysis can be easily reused to guide the choice of architecture for others platforms.

Probing the symmetry breaking of a light–matter system by an ancillary qubit

Hybrid quantum systems in the ultrastrong, and even more in the deep-strong, coupling regimes can exhibit exotic physical phenomena and promise new applications in quantum technologies. In these nonperturbative regimes, a qubit–resonator system has an entangled quantum vacuum with a nonzero average photon number in the resonator, where the photons are virtual and cannot be directly detected. The vacuum field, however, is able to induce the symmetry breaking of a dispersively coupled probe qubit. We experimentally observe the parity symmetry breaking of an ancillary Xmon artificial atom induced by the field of a lumped-element superconducting resonator deep-strongly coupled with a flux qubit. This result opens a way to experimentally explore the novel quantum-vacuum effects emerging in the deep-strong coupling regime.

Quantum emulation of the transient dynamics in the multistate Landau-Zener model

Quantum simulation is one of the most promising near term applications of quantum computing. Especially, systems with a large Hilbert space are hard to solve for classical computers and thus ideal targets for a simulation with quantum hardware. In this work, we study experimentally the transient dynamics in the multistate Landau-Zener model as a function of the Landau-Zener velocity. The underlying Hamiltonian is emulated by superconducting quantum circuit, where a tunable transmon qubit is coupled to a bosonic mode ensemble comprising four lumped element microwave resonators. We investigate the model for different initial states: Due to our circuit design, we are not limited to merely exciting the qubit, but can also pump the harmonic modes via a dedicated drive line. Here, the nature of the transient dynamics depends on the average photon number in the excited resonator. The greater effective coupling strength between qubit and higher Fock states results in a quasi-adiabatic transition, where coherent quantum oscillations are suppressed without the introduction of additional loss channels. Our experiments pave the way for more complex simulations with qubits coupled to an engineered bosonic mode spectrum.

Photon blockade in the Jaynes-Cummings model with two-photon dissipation.

We propose a scheme to generate a single-photon source based on photon blockade in the Jaynes-Cummings (J-C) model with a two-photon dissipation (TPD) process. We present the optimal conditions for conventional/unconventional photon blockade via the wave function method with an effective Hamiltonian involving TPD. The results show that the second-order correlation function for the J-C model with TPD is considerably less than that of the J-C model with single-photon dissipation. Additionally, the average photon number can reach 0.5 in the large atomic detuning regime. This feature makes the J-C model with TPD a high-quality single photon source.

Classical Emulation of Bright Quantum States

AbstractThe way to emulate classically a number of fundamental quantum mechanical experiments is shown, such as Hong‐Ou‐Mandel interference, phase measurements with NOON states and specifically structured “revivals” in Jaynes‐Cummings model using coherent states with large number of photons. It is also shown that certain classes of bright non‐classical states can be efficiently emulated by our technique independently of the average photon number of these states.

Quantum fluctuations spatial mode profiler

The spatial mode is an essential component of an electromagnetic field description, yet it is challenging to characterize it for optical fields with the low average photon number, such as in a squeezed vacuum. We present a method for the reconstruction of the spatial modes of such fields based on the homodyne measurements of their quadrature noise variance performed with a set of structured masks. We show theoretically that under certain conditions, we can recover individual spatial mode distributions by using the weighted sum of the basis masks, where weights are determined using measured variance values and phases. We apply this approach to analyze the spatial structure of a squeezed vacuum field with various amount of excess thermal noise generated in Rb vapor.

Sub-Planck structures and sensitivity of the superposed photon-added or photon-subtracted squeezed-vacuum states

The Wigner function of the compass state (a superposition of four coherent states) develops phase-space structures of dimension much less than the Planck scale $\ensuremath{\hbar}$, which are crucial in determining the sensitivity of these states to phase-space displacements. In the present work we introduce compasslike states that may have connection to the contemporary experiments, which are obtained by either adding photons to or subtracting photons from the superposition of two squeezed-vacuum states. We show that when a significant quantity of photons is added (or subtracted), the Wigner functions of these states are shown to have phase-space structures of an area that is substantially smaller than the Planck scale. In addition, these states exhibit sensitivity to displacements that is much higher than the standard quantum limit. Finally, we show that both the size of the sub-Planck structures and the sensitivity of our states are strongly influenced by the average photon number, with the photon-addition case having a higher average photon number leading to the smaller sub-Planck structures and, consequently, being more sensitive to displacement than the photon-subtraction case. Our states offer unprecedented resolution to the external perturbations, making them suitable for quantum sensing applications.

Predictability and interrelations of spectral indicators for PV performance in multiple latitudes and climates

When PV is installed in the field, the module technologies are rated according to their output energy yield under local operating conditions rather than at standard test conditions (STC), where the spectrum is set to AM1.5G. Care must be taken as this standard is not optimal for all latitudes and the solar spectral distribution variations are one primary influencing factor on PV performance. In addition, obtaining an accurate estimate of the spectral effects on PV performance, as set out in standard procedures, is hampered by the cost of gathering the inputs and the large amount of spectral data required for such a calculation. In this work, based on measured spectral irradiance data from nine sites of different latitudes and climates, we first show a characteristic trend in the spectral distribution over the year concerning the location latitude. The closer a site is to the equator, the more blue-rich the solar spectrum is and the fewer seasonal spectral variations it will contain. Then, we calculate and correlate the most popular metrics (device-independent and device-dependent) used to describe the influence of solar spectra on PV performance. In particular, the monthly irradiance-weighted Spectral Mismatch Factor for different PV technologies and Average Photon Energy show a global linear correlation for data from these nine sites. We use this global linear relationship to propose PV technology-dependent equations that predict annual and monthly spectral gains/losses within a prediction half-interval of up to ± 1.66% by only inserting the monthly or annual irradiance-weighted Average Photon Energy potentially for any site. Reducing the required spectral data sets for performance estimation through our methodology facilitates a more accessible and less costly communication of databases than complete spectral data sets. Finally, using this spectral data, we demonstrate statistically that the Spectral Mismatch Factor and Integrated Useful Fraction Ratio can be replaced by alternative spectral metrics, which require only averaged spectra and, thus, reduce the computational effort to estimate the above indicators.

Overirradiance conditions and their impact on the spectral distribution at low- and mid-latitude sites

Lately, the photovoltaics community has shown an increased interest in overirradiance conditions as there is the possibility that such conditions might lead to malfunctions in photovoltaic systems. Varying irradiance levels, recurrence, and duration of such conditions have been reported worldwide, but experimental studies on the spectral distribution of overirradiance conditions are still scarce. This work analyses measured spectral irradiance of overirradiance conditions along with spectra under clear and cloudy sky conditions in three different sites at low- (Lima-Peru) and mid-latitudes (Madrid-Spain and Berlin-Germany) collected for two years. The Average Photon Energy (APE) was used as a representative index of the spectral distribution. For each site, taking the APE under clear sky into account as a reference, it could be shown that the spectra under cloudy skies are blue-shifted, and the overirradiance spectra are red-shifted independently of the location. The red-shift is proportional to the irradiance enhancement intensity. In addition, all sites have different degrees of blue–shift for cloudy skies, with Lima, Madrid, and Berlin exhibiting a difference in APE compared to clear sky conditions of 17 meV, 38 meV, and 43 meV on average, respectively. This difference in APE for the overirradiance conditions compared to clear sky conditions is also independent of the location with a mean value of (8 ± 1)meV. These spectral shift observations experimentally confirm prior assumptions that overirradiance conditions predominantly cause an enhancement of the direct spectral irradiance.

Data mining techniques for novel local reference solar irradiance spectra calculations: A case study in Beijing

The established reference spectrum (ASTM AM1.5) based on mid-latitudes is still the most frequently used standard in design and simulation in various fields worldwide, however, the solar spectrum varies with climate and time, which significantly affects the evaluations of solar energy utilization. This study proposes a novel reference spectrum analysis method to establish several local reference spectra, in this case, based on 147,374 spectra in Beijing, which can characterize solar resources throughout the year. The dataset consists of spectra of direct normal irradiance, and a deep learning autoencoder is adopted to extract the intrinsic features of each spectrum for clustering. 10 clusters are finally divided by agglomerative hierarchical clustering, and 10 local reference spectra were identified from each cluster by correlation analysis. The results show that the shape of new reference spectra shifts to the short wave as the irradiance increases, and the average photon energy increases from 1.069 eV to 1.456 eV. The new local reference spectra are compared with the standard spectrum AM1.5D to show the influence of shape variations, and it reveals 61% maximum differences among photovoltaic applications. The superiority verified new reference spectra could be further used to optimize local solar technologies design and guide photovoltaic material development.

Unbalanced beam splitters enabling enhanced phase sensitivity of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer using coherent and squeezed vacuum states

An optical interferometer seeded by coherent and squeezed vacuum states seems to be the most promising platform for gravitational wave detection. Prior studies regarding this estimation protocol focus on the scenario in which the transmittances of two beam splitters are $\frac{1}{2}$. In this paper, with respect to the same inputs, we analyze the phase sensitivity of an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) followed by balanced homodyne measurement. We give the optimal transmittance and demonstrate the advantage of our scheme over a balanced MZI scheme. Additionally, when the average photon number of the coherent state is dominant, the phase sensitivity of our scheme can nearly saturate the single-parameter quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound. Our results may contribute to the development of practical quantum sensing.