Input Coherent State Research Articles

Measurement-induced nonclassical states from a coherent state heralded by Knill–Laflamme–Milburn-type interference

We theoretically generate nonclassical states from coherent state heralded by Knill-Laflamme-Milburn (KLM)-type SU(3) interference. Injecting a coherent state in signal mode and two single-photon sources in other two auxiliary modes of SU(3) interferometry, a broad class of useful nonclassical states are obtained in the output signal port after making two single-photon-counting measurements in the two output auxiliary modes. The nonclassical properties, in terms of anti-bunching effect and squeezing effect as well as the negativity of the Wigner function, are studied in detail by adjusting the interaction parameters. The results show that the input coherent state can be transformed into non-Gaussian states with higher nonclassicality after measurement induction. The maximum squeezing of our generated states can be arrived at about 1.9 dB.

Spectrum analysis with quantum dynamical systems

Measuring the power spectral density of a stochastic process, such as a stochastic force or magnetic field, is a fundamental task in many sensing applications. Quantum noise is becoming a major limiting factor to such a task in future technology, especially in optomechanics for temperature, stochastic gravitational wave, and decoherence measurements. Motivated by this concern, here we prove a measurement-independent quantum limit to the accuracy of estimating the spectrum parameters of a classical stochastic process coupled to a quantum dynamical system. We demonstrate our results by analyzing the data from a continuous optical phase estimation experiment and showing that the experimental performance with homodyne detection is close to the quantum limit. We further propose a spectral photon counting method that can attain quantum-optimal performance for weak modulation and a coherent-state input, with an error scaling superior to that of homodyne detection at low signal-to-noise ratios.

Conditional generation scheme for entangled vacuum evacuated coherent states by mixing two coherent beams with a squeezed vacuum state

Conditions to generate high-purity entangled vacuum-evacuated coherent states (|0>|α>0−|−α>0|0>) were studied for two cascade-placed beam splitters, with one squeezed state input and two coherent state inputs whenever a single photon is detected. Controlling the amplitudes and the phases of the beams allows for various amplitudes of the vacuum-evacuated coherent states (|α>0=|α>−e−|α|2|0>) up to α=2.160 to be manipulated with high-purity.

System Identification for Passive Linear Quantum Systems

System identification is a key enabling component for the implementation of quantum technologies, including quantum control. In this paper, we consider the class of passive linear input-output systems, and investigate several basic questions: (1) which parameters can be identified? (2) Given sufficient input-output data, how do we reconstruct the system parameters? (3) How can we optimize the estimation precision by preparing appropriate input states and performing measurements on the output? We show that minimal systems can be identified up to a unitary transformation on the modes, and systems satisfying a Hamiltonian connectivity condition called "infecting" are completely identifiable. We propose a frequency domain design based on a Fisher information criterion, for optimizing the estimation precision for coherent input state. As a consequence of the unitarity of the transfer function, we show that the Heisenberg limit with respect to the input energy can be achieved using non-classical input states.

Optimal fidelity of teleportation with continuous variables using three tunable parameters in a realistic environment

We introduce three tunable parameters to optimize the fidelity of quantum teleportation with continuous-variable in nonideal scheme. Using the characteristic function formalism, we present the condition that the teleportation fidelity is independent of the amplitude of input coherent states for any entangled resource. Then we investigate the effects of tunable parameters on the fidelity with or without the presence of environment and imperfect measurements, by analytically deriving the expression of fidelity for three different input coherent state distributions. It is shown that, for the linear distribution, the optimization with three tunable parameters is the best one with respect to single- and two-parameter optimization. Our results reveal the usefulness of tunable parameters for improving the fidelity of teleportation and the ability against the decoherence.

Quantum correlation of light scattered by disordered media

We study theoretically how multiple scattering of light in a disordered medium can spontaneously generate quantum correlations. In particular we focus on the case where the input state is Gaussian and characterize the correlations between two arbitrary output modes. As there is not a single all-inclusive measure of correlation, we characterise the output correlations with three measures: intensity fluctuations, entanglement, and quantum discord. We find that, while a coherent input state can not produce quantum correlations, any other Gaussian input will produce them in one form or another. This includes input states that are usually regarded as more classical than coherent ones, such as thermal states, which will produce a non-zero quantum discord.

New formula for calculating the fidelity of teleportation and its applications

Quantum teleportation plays an important role in quantum information science. In order to obtain the effect of quantum teleportation of a quantum state by using an entangled resource, the fidelity of teleporting the quantum state should be calculated. Braunstein and Kimble[Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 869 (1998)] derived a formula of calculating the fidelity of quantum teleportation for Gaussian entangled resource and any input state to be teleported. Then, the point is how to calculate the quantum teleportation fidelity for any entangled resource. In this paper, werealize this purpose by using the entangled state representation. First, we derive the Weyl expansion of any density operator by using the completeness relation between coherent state and P-representation. Then using the orthogonal property of entangled state representation and the traditional Kimble-Braunstein scheme of quantum teleportation, we further derive the mean density operator of the output state, which means that we establish the relation between the output density operator and the characteristic functions of the input state to be teleported and the entangled resources. The characteristic function of the output state is also derived which is in the concise form relating these two characteristic functions above. Then we further obtain a new formula for calculating the quantum teleportation fidelity for the coherent state input and any two-mode entangled resource. It is shown that the fidelity of teleportation can be easily calculated when the Q-function of the normally ordering form of entangled resource is known. This is a convenient way of obtaining the fidelity of teleportation. As its applications, some Gaussian and non-Gaussian entangled states are examined to teleport the coherent state, whose results are correct.

From particle counting to Gaussian tomography

The momentum and position observables in an [Formula: see text]-mode boson Fock space [Formula: see text] have the whole real line [Formula: see text] as their spectrum. But the total number operator [Formula: see text] has a discrete spectrum [Formula: see text]. An [Formula: see text]-mode Gaussian state in [Formula: see text] is completely determined by the mean values of momentum and position observables and their covariance matrix which together constitute a family of [Formula: see text] real parameters. Starting with [Formula: see text] and its unitary conjugates by the Weyl displacement operators and operators from a representation of the symplectic group [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], we construct [Formula: see text] observables with spectrum [Formula: see text] but whose expectation values in a Gaussian state determine all its mean and covariance parameters. Thus measurements of discrete-valued observables enable the tomography of the underlying Gaussian state and it can be done by using five one-mode and four two-mode Gaussian symplectic gates in single and pair mode wires of [Formula: see text]. Thus the tomography protocol admits a simple description in a language similar to circuits in quantum computation theory. Such a Gaussian tomography applied to outputs of a Gaussian channel with coherent input states permit a tomography of the channel parameters. However, in our procedure the number of counting measurements exceeds the number of channel parameters slightly. Presently, it is not clear whether a more efficient method exists for reducing this tomographic complexity. As a byproduct of our approach an elementary derivation of the probability generating function of [Formula: see text] in a Gaussian state is given. In many cases the distribution turns out to be infinitely divisible and its underlying Lévy measure can be obtained. However, we are unable to derive the exact distribution in all cases. Whether this property of infinite divisibility holds in general is left as an open problem.

Deterministic noiseless amplification of coherent states

A universal deterministic noiseless quantum amplifier has been shown to be impossible. However, probabilistic noiseless amplification of a certain set of states is physically permissible. Regarding quantum state amplification as quantum state transformation, we show that deterministic noiseless amplification of coherent states chosen from a proper set is possible. The relation between input coherent states and gain of amplification for deterministic noiseless amplification is thus derived. Besides, the potential applications of amplification of coherent states in quantum key distribution (QKD), noisy channel and non-ideal detection are also discussed.

Generating continuous variable entangled states for quantum teleportation using a superposition of number-conserving operations

We investigate the states generated in continuous variable (CV) optical fields by operating them with a number-conserving operator of the type , formed by the generalized superposition of products of field annihilation () and creation () operators, with . Such an operator is experimentally realizable and can be suitably manipulated to generate nonclassical optical states when applied on single- and two-mode coherent, thermal and squeezed input states. At low intensities, these nonclassical states can interact with a secondary mode via a linear optical device to generate two-mode discrete entangled states, which can serve as a resource in quantum information protocols. The advantage of these operations are tested by applying the generated entangled states as quantum channels in CV quantum teleportation, under the Braunstein and Kimble protocol. We observe that, under these operations, while the average fidelity of CV teleportation is enhanced for the nonclassical channel formed using input squeezed states, it remains at the classical threshold for input coherent and thermal states. This is due to the fact that though these operations can introduce discrete entanglement in all input states, it enhances the Einstein–Podolosky–Rosen correlations only in the nonclassical squeezed state inputs, leading to an advantage in CV teleportation. This shows that nonclassical optical states generated using the above operations on classical coherent and thermal state inputs are not useful for CV teleportation. This investigation could prove useful for the efficient implementation of noisy non-Gaussian channels, formed by linear operations, in future teleportation protocols.

Coherently stimulated parametric down-conversion, phase effects, and quantum-optical interferometry

We re-examine the properties of the states produced by nondegenerate coherently stimulated parametric down-conversion wherein the signal and idler modes are seeded with coherent states of light and where the nonlinear crystal is driven by a strong classical field as described by the parametric approximation. The states produced are the two-mode squeezed coherent states defined with a specific ordering of operators, namely, the displacement operators of the two modes acting on the double vacuum state followed by the action of the two-mode squeeze operator representing the down-conversion process. Though mathematically equivalent to the reverse ordering of operators, but with different displacement parameters, the ordering we consider is closely related to what could most easily be implemented in the laboratory. The statistical properties of the state are studied with an emphasis on how they, and its average photon number, are affected by the various controllable phases, namely, those of the classical pump field of the two input coherent states. We then consider the multiphoton interference effects that arise if the two beams are overlapped on a 50:50 beam splitter, investigating the role of the phases in controlling the statistical properties of the output states. Finally, we study the prospects for the application of the states to quantum-optical interferometry to obtain sensitivities in phase-shift measurements beyond the standard quantum limit.

Approximate analytical solutions of a pair of coupled anharmonic oscillators

The Hamiltonian and the corresponding equations of motion involving the field operators of two quartic anharmonic oscillators indirectly coupled via a linear oscillator are constructed. The approximate analytical solutions of the coupled differential equations involving the non-commuting field operators are solved up to the second order in the anharmonic coupling. In the absence of nonlinearity these solutions are used to calculate the second order variances and hence the squeezing in pure and in mixed modes. The higher order quadrature squeezing and the amplitude squared squeezing of various field modes are also investigated where the squeezing in pure and in mixed modes are found to be suppressed. Moreover, the absence of a nonlinearity prohibits the higher order quadrature and higher ordered amplitude squeezing of the input coherent states. It is established that the mere coupling of two oscillators through a third one is unable to produce any squeezing effects of input coherent light, but the presence of a nonlinear interaction may provide squeezed states and other nonclassical phenomena.

Conditional generation scheme for high-fidelity Yurke-Stoler states by mixing two coherent beams with a squeezed vacuum state

Conditions to generate high-purity entangled vacuum-evacuated coherent states ($|0>|\alpha>^0 - |-\alpha>^0 |0>$ were studied for two cascade-placed beam splitters, with one squeezed state input and two coherent state inputs whenever a single photon is detected. Controlling the amplitudes and the phases of the beams allows for various amplitudes of the vacuum-evacuated coherent states ($|\alpha>^ 0 = |\alpha> -e^{-|\alpha|^2} |0> $) up to $\alpha = 2.160$ to be manipulated with high-purity.

Fidelity of Fock-state-encoded qubits subjected to continuous-variable Gaussian processes

When a harmonic oscillator is under the influence of a Gaussian process such as linear damping, parametric gain, and linear coupling to a thermal environment, its coherent states are transformed into states with Gaussian Wigner function. Qubit states can be encoded in the |0> and |1> Fock states of a quantum harmonic oscillator, and it is relevant to know the fidelity of the output qubit state after a Gaussian process on the oscillator. In this paper we present a general expression for the average qubit fidelity in terms of the first and second moments of the output from input coherent states subjected to Gaussian processes.

Conditional generation scheme for a high-purity superposed state of single and two-photon states by mixing two coherent beams with squeezed vacuum states

The numerical conditions to generate a high-fidelity Yurke-Stoler states ($|\alpha>+ e^{i \psi} |-\alpha>$)were found for two cascade-placed beam splitters with one squeezed state input and two coherent state inputs. Controlling the amplitude and the phases of beams, allows for various Yurke-Stoler states to be manipulated with ultra high-fidelity, and the expected theoretical fidelity is of more than 0.9999.

Scalable quantum computation via a coherent state input–output process in a low-Q cavity in the atom–cavity intermediate coupling region

We propose a basic scheme to construct a hybrid controlled phase-flip (CPF) gate between a flying pulse qubit and a stationary atomic qubit, assisted by a cavity input–output process for a low-Q cavity in the atom–cavity intermediate coupling region. The qubits can be encoded on the coherent states and ground states of the single-trapped L-level atom, respectively. We present a theoretical model of the hybrid CPF gate, whose basic strategy is to control the reflectivity of the input coherent optical pulse to obtain a phase shift conditioned by the different internal atomic states by adjusting the parameters of the cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED) system. The resulting basic scheme can be used to construct nonlocal gates between remote atomic qubits confined in spatially separated cavities, and also for the generation of an atomic cluster state. The performance and experimental feasibilities of the proposed scheme indicate that it is robust against practical noise and feasible with current technologies. Thus, our scheme is applicable for use in large-scale quantum computation.

Engineering vacuum-evacuated photonic states with three input beams and two detectors

From the explicit form of the probability amplitude for two cascade-placed beam splitters (with one squeezed state input and two coherent state inputs), we calculated the probability amplitude of the output beam as a function of the transmittance of the two beam splitters and the amplitude and the relative phase of the three input states. At a certain condition, the output beam had no vacuum and was in a highly nonclassical state that contained more than one photon. Armed with explicit probability amplitude for two beam splitters and two coherent states, the squeezed vacuum state might be a very useful tool for generating highly nonclassical light.

Quantum limits on probabilistic amplifiers

An ideal phase-preserving linear amplifier is a deterministic device that adds to an input signal the minimal amount of noise consistent with the constraints imposed by quantum mechanics. A noiseless linear amplifier takes an input coherent state to an amplified coherent state, but only works part of the time. Such a device is actually better than noiseless, since the output has less noise than the amplified noise of the input coherent state; for this reason we refer to such devices as {\em immaculate}. Here we bound the working probabilities of probabilistic and approximate immaculate amplifiers and construct theoretical models that achieve some of these bounds. Our chief conclusions are the following: (i) the working probability of any phase-insensitive immaculate amplifier is very small in the phase-plane region where the device works with high fidelity; (ii) phase-sensitive immaculate amplifiers that work only on coherent states sparsely distributed on a phase-plane circle centered at the origin can have a reasonably high working probability.

Photon subtraction and addition by a three-level atom in an optical cavity

Rosenblum et al. showed recently that a three-level atom in a cavity can function as a perfect ``photon turnstile.'' Here we explore how this device reshapes the incident pulses, generalize it to the case of an input coherent state, and consider its use in reverse as a ``photon adder.'' We find that for initially unentangled pulses, adding one photon to an $|n\ensuremath{\rangle}$ number state is possible with a success probability equal to $1/(n+1)$.

Scheme for the generation of freely traveling optical trio coherent states

Trio coherent states (TCSs) are non-Gaussian three-mode entangled states which can serve as a useful resource for continuous-variable quantum tasks, so their generation is of primary importance. Schemes exist to generate stable TCSs in terms of vibrational motion of a trapped ion inside a crystal. However, to perform quantum communication and distributed quantum computation the states should be shared beforehand among distant parties. That is, their modes should be able to be directed to different desired locations in space. In this work, we propose an experimental setup to generate such free-traveling TCSs in terms of optical fields. Our scheme uses standard physical resources, such as coherent states, balanced beam splitters, phase shifters, nonideal on-off photodetectors, and realistic weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities, without the need of single photons or homodyne or heterodyne measurements. We study the dependences of the fidelity of the state generated by our scheme with respect to the target TCS and the corresponding generation probability for the parameters involved. In theory, the fidelity could be nearly perfect for whatever weak nonlinearities $\ensuremath{\tau}$ and low photodetector efficiency $\ensuremath{\eta}$, provided that the amplitude $|\ensuremath{\alpha}|$ of an input coherent state is large enough, namely, $|\ensuremath{\alpha}|\ensuremath{\ge}5/(\sqrt{\ensuremath{\eta}}\ensuremath{\tau})$.