Coherent Pump Field Research Articles

Quantum Nondemolition Measurements with Optical Parametric Amplifiers for Ultrafast Universal Quantum Information Processing

Realization of a room-temperature ultrafast photon-number-resolving quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement would have significant implications for photonic quantum information processing, enabling, for example, deterministic quantum computation in discrete-variable architectures, but the requirement for strong coupling has hampered the development of scalable implementations. In this work, we propose and analyze a nonlinear-optical route to photon-number-resolving QND using quadratic (i.e., χ(2)) nonlinear interactions. We show that the coherent pump field driving a frequency-detuned optical parametric amplifier (OPA) experiences displacements conditioned on the number of signal Bogoliubov excitations. A measurement of the pump displacement thus provides a QND measurement of the signal Bogoliubov excitations, projecting the signal mode to a squeezed photon-number state. We then show how our nonlinear OPA dynamics can be utilized to deterministically generate Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill states with only additional Gaussian resources, offering an all-optical route for fault-tolerant quantum information processing in continuous-variable systems. Finally, we place these QND schemes into a more traditional context by highlighting analogies between the frequency-detuned optical parametric oscillator and multilevel atom-cavity quantum electrodynamics systems by showing how continuous monitoring of the outcoupled pump quadrature induces conditional localization of the intracavity signal mode onto squeezed photon-number states. Our analysis suggests that our proposal may be viable in near-term χ(2) nonlinear nanophotonics, highlighting the rich potential of the OPA as a universal tool for ultrafast non-Gaussian quantum state engineering and quantum computation.Received 18 October 2022Accepted 8 March 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PRXQuantum.4.010333Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasQuantum computationQuantum engineeringQuantum information processingQuantum information processing with continuous variablesQuantum opticsQuantum state engineeringSecond order nonlinear optical processesQuantum InformationAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Steady-state entanglement generation for nondegenerate qubits

We propose a scheme to dissipatively produce steady-state entanglement in a two-qubit system, via an interaction with a bosonic mode. The system is driven into a stationary entangled state, while we compensate the mode dissipation by injecting energy via a coherent pump field. We also present a scheme which allows us to adiabatically transfer all the population to the desired entangled state. The dynamics leading to the entangled state in these schemes can be understood in analogy with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP), respectively.

Large-bandwidth Transduction Between an Optical Single Quantum Dot Molecule and a Superconducting Resonator

Quantum transduction between the microwave and optical domains is an outstanding challenge for long-distance quantum networks based on superconducting qubits. For all transducers realized to date, the generally weak light-matter coupling does not allow high transduction efficiency, large bandwidth, and low noise simultaneously. Here we show that a large electric dipole moment of an exciton in an optically active self-assembled quantum dot molecule (QDM) efficiently couples to a microwave resonator field at a single-photon level. This allows for transduction between microwave and optical photons without coherent optical pump fields to enhance the interaction. With an on-chip device, we demonstrate a sizeable single-photon coupling strength of 16 MHz. Thanks to the fast exciton decay rate in the QDM, the transduction bandwidth between an optical and microwave resonator photon reaches several 100s of MHz.

Coherent optical effects in a three-level quantum emitter near a periodic plasmonic nanostructure

We investigate optical effects in a three-level $V$-type quantum system involving two closely situated upper levels (a doublet), interacting with a weak probe field while located near a two-dimensional array of metal-coated dielectric nanospheres. We demonstrate that the presence of the plasmonic nanostructure leads to a significant modification of the absorption and dispersion properties of the quantum $V$ system, yielding either very narrow resonances or induced transparency for the weak probe field. Introducing a weak incoherent pumping field can result in gain with and without population inversion in the quantum system, without the need for a strong coherent pump field. Such a gain can be controlled by varying the distance of the quantum system from the plasmonic nanostructure and by adjusting the amount of incoherent pumping, as well as the doublet splitting. The threshold limits are provided both analytically and numerically for achieving gain with and without inversion using the incoherent pumping. Our analysis paves the way toward further theoretical and experimental studies for mitigating dissipative losses in plasmonic modes when the gain is difficult to achieve due to impractical pumping requirements.

Quantum trajectory theory and simulations of nonlinear spectra and multiphoton effects in waveguide-QED systems with a time-delayed coherent feedback

We study the nonlinear spectra and multi-photon correlation functions for the waveguide output of a two-level system (including realistic dissipation channels) with a time-delayed coherent feedback. We compute these observables by extending a recent quantum trajectory discretized-waveguide (QTDW) approach which exploits quantum trajectory simulations and a collisional model for the waveguide to tractably simulate the dynamics. Following a description of the general technique, we show how to calculate the first and second order quantum correlation functions, in the presence of a coherent pumping field. With a short delay time, we show how feedback can be used to filter out the central peak of the Mollow triplet or switch the output between bunched and anti-bunched photons by proper choice of round trip phase. We further show how the loop length and round trip phase effects the zero-time second order quantum correlation function, an indicator of bunching or anti-bunching. New resonances introduced through the feedback loop are also shown through their appearance in the incoherent output spectrum from the waveguide. We explain these results in the context of the waiting time distributions of the system output and individual trajectories, uniquely stochastic observables that are easily accessible with the QTDW model.

Bipartite Gaussian quantum steering, entanglement, and discord and their interconnection via a parametric down-converter.

In this study, we quantify quantum steering, quantum entanglement, and quantum discord and their interconnection using the technique of parametric down-conversion. Initially, two single-mode Gaussian states together with a non-linear crystal in a cavity are considered. The behavior of the three kinds of quantum correlations depend on the phase of the coherent pump field, purity, and non-classicality of the input states, and the damping rates of the cavity. The amount and time evolution of the quantum correlations enhances with the difference between the non-classicality of the initial states. In presence of the damping rates, the quantum steering and quantum entanglement (quantum discord) increase (decreases) with the purity of the input cavity field. We note that the amount and survival time of the quantum correlations can be controlled by varying the relative phase associated to the coherent pump field. The boundaries of the three kinds of quantum correlations are defined and explained with respect to each other, which form a hierarchy.

Interfering pathways for photon blockade in cavity QED with one and two qubits

We theoretically study the quantum interference induced photon blockade phenomenon in atom cavity QED system, where the destructive interference between two different transition pathways prohibits the two-photon excitation. Here, we first explore the single atom cavity QED system via an atom or cavity drive. We show that the cavity-driven case will lead to the quantum interference induced photon blockade under a specific condition, but the atom driven case can't result in such interference induced photon blockade. Then, we investigate the two atoms case, and find that an additional transition pathway appears in the atom-driven case. We show that this additional transition pathway results in the quantum interference induced photon blockade only if the atomic resonant frequency is different from the cavity mode frequency. Moreover, in this case, the condition for realizing the interference induced photon blockade is independent of the system's intrinsic parameters, which can be used to generate antibunched photon source both in weak and strong coupling regimes.

Four-Wave Mixing in Metamaterials

Interaction of four counterpropagating waves in a cubic medium being “left” for the signal wave is considered in the constant-intensity approximation. Analytical expression for the signal wave intensity is derived for the general case of four-wave interaction in a metamaterial. The influence of different parameters on the signal wave amplification coefficient, efficiency of conversion into the signal wave, and the reflection coefficient of the mirror whose role is played by the metamaterial is analyzed. It has been obtained for the first time that the determining role in the backward signal wave amplification is played by the total length of the metamaterial and the intensities of all three forward waves. An analysis has shown that the optimal thickness of the metamaterial depends not only on the phase mismatch and the strong coherent pump field intensity, as in the constant-field approximation, but also on the intensity of the weak wave at the frequency ω2. It has been demonstrated for the first time that the efficiency of frequency conversion in metamaterials depends on the total metamaterial length, input intensities of all four interacting waves, phase mismatch, and losses in the medium. It is established that the maxima of the reflection coefficient of the metamaterial depend on the total metamaterial length and the intensities of all three forward waves.

Transfer of temporal coherence in parametric down-conversion

We show that in parametric down-conversion the coherence properties of a temporally partially coherent pump field get entirely transferred to the down-converted entangled two-photon field. Under the assumption that the frequency-bandwidth of the down-converted signal-idler photons is much larger than that of the pump, we derive the temporal coherence functions for the down-converted field, for both infinitely-fast and time-averaged detection schemes. We show that in each scheme the coherence function factorizes into two separate coherence functions with one of them carrying the entire statistical information of the pump field. In situations in which the pump is a Gaussian Schell-model field, we derive explicit expressions for the coherence functions. Finally, we show that the concurrence of time-energy-entangled two-qubit states is bounded by the degree of temporal coherence of the pump field. This study can have important implications for understanding how correlations of the pump field manifest as two-particle entanglement as well as for harnessing energy-time entanglement for long-distance quantum communication protocols.

Probe gain via four-wave mixing based on spontaneously generated coherence**Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hainan Province, China (Grant Nos. 20151005, 20151015, and 20161006), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11247005, 51262007, 11501153, and 41564006), the Postdoctoral Scientific Research Program of Jilin Province, China (Grant No. RB201330), the Project Sponsored by Science Research Foundation for

We have studied the probe gain via a double-Λ atomic system with a pair of closely lying lower levels in the presence of two probe and two coherent pump fields. The inversionless gain can be realized by using nondegenerate four-wave mixing under the condition of spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) owing to near-degenerate lower levels. Note that by using SGC, two probe fields can be amplified with more remarkable amplitudes, and the gain spectra of an extremely narrow linewidth can be obtained. Last but not least, our results show that the probe gain is quite sensitive to relative phases due to the SGC presence which allows one to modulate the gain spectra periodically by phase modulation, and can also be influenced by all laser field intensities and frequencies, and the angles between dipole elements.

All-optical switching in an open V-type atomic system

In this paper, the optical bistability (OB) and absorption properties of a weak probe field in an open V-type three-level atomic system have been investigated. We found that the OB threshold could be reduced via spontaneously generated coherence (SGC), coherent and incoherent pump fields, atomic injection, and exit rates. We also found that the threshold intensity of OB in an open system was less than that in the closed system. The all-optical switching due to the OB has also been discussed.

Subluminal and superluminal light propagation via electromagnetically induced transparency in radiatively and inhomogeneously broadened media

Contrary to popular belief, we demonstrate the feasibility of generating superluminal (and subluminal) probe (and signal) light via electromagnetically induced transparency in a medium comprising coupled double-ladder systems. This scheme can be realized in both homogeneously (radiative) as well as in inhomogeneously (Doppler) broadened atomic systems. Unlike more intricate earlier schemes, our scheme is based simply on steady-state propagation dynamics resulting from compensation of the inevitable absorption losses by large nonlinear gain generated through appropriate choice of the pump and coupling fields. We show how easily in this scheme the speed of weak probe (and signal) fields can be switched from subluminal to superluminal by simply varying the strengths of the coherent pump and coupling fields. Furthermore, it is shown that under these conditions both the signal and probe fields are intensity matched and both propagate with the same subluminal (or superluminal) group velocity without suffering loss or gain for long distance in the medium.

Revisiting the four-level inverted-Y system under both Doppler-free and Doppler-broadened conditions: an analytical approach

We report the occurrence of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the simulated probe response signal for a four-level inverted-Y type system that is being acted upon by a weak coherent probe field, a strong coherent pump field and a coherent repump field. There are two ground energy levels, one intermediate energy level and one uppermost energy level. The weak probe field couples the lowest ground level to the intermediate level whereas the repump field connects the other ground level with the intermediate level. The strong control field couples the intermediate level with the uppermost energy level, thereby forming an inverted-Y type system. The density matrix based theoretical model has been developed and solved analytically for this four-level system and the probe response signal has been simulated at different values of the control and repump Rabi frequencies, control and repump frequency detunings and under both Doppler-free and Doppler-broadened conditions using the parameters of 87Rb D2 transition. Extremely low line width (few tens of kHz) for the EIT signal has been noticed under thermal averaging for copropagating probe, control and repump field configuration. The EIT signal is found to be immune to the variation in the control Rabi frequency.

Multi-V-type and Λ-type electromagnetically induced transparency experiments in rubidium atoms with low-power low-cost free running single mode diode lasers

In this work we present the experimental realization of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in A-type and multi-V-type configurations in a sample of rubidium atoms inside a vapor cell at room temperature. Typical EIT windows are clearly visible in the Doppler- broadened absorption signal of the weak probe beam. The coherent optical pump and probe fields are produced by two tunable low-cost, low-power, continuous-wave (cw), free-running and single mode operated diode laser systems, temperature stabilized and current controlled, tuned to the D2 line of rubidium atoms at 780.2 nm wavelength. The continuum wave and single mode operation of our laser systems are confirmed by direct and saturated absorption spectroscopy techniques. Among other applications, these simple experiments can be used as a low-cost undergraduate laboratory in atomic physics, laser physics, coherent light-atom interaction, and high resolution atomic spectroscopy.

Dipole-dipole interaction between nanolaser and external atom

We consider the single-emitter nanolaser coupled through dipole-dipole interaction with the external atom placed into the coherent pump field. We show that varying of the coherent pump parameters allows to control the quantum fluctuations of the laser field.

Electrical and optical control of entanglement entropy in a coupled triple quantum dot system

We investigated theoretically the entanglement creation through tunneling rate and fields in a four-level triple quantum dot molecule based on InAs/GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure in both steady state and transient state. We demonstrate that the entanglement entropy among the QDM and its spontaneous emission fields can be controlled by coherent and incoherent pumping field and tunnel-coupled electronics levels. The results may provide some new possibilities for technological applications in solid-state quantum information science, quantum computing, teleportation, encryption, compression codec, and optoelectronics.

Superradiance and collective gain in multimode optomechanics

We present a description of a strongly driven multimode optomechanical system that shows the emergence of cooperative effects usually known from systems of atom-light interaction. Our calculations show that under application of a coherent pump field the system's response can be switched from a superradiant regime to a collective gain regime by varying the frequency detuning of the pump. In the superradiant regime, enhanced optical cooling of a single vibrational mode is possible, whereas the collective gain regime would potentially enable one to achieve almost thresholdless phonon laser action. The threshold pumping power scales as $1/N$.

Transmission characteristics of a Raman-amplified atomic optical filter in rubidium at 780 nm

The transmission characteristics of a Raman-amplified atomic filter that can be used to detect fairly weak signals in free-space quantum-key distribution or laser communications are analyzed and discussed in the coherent and incoherent pump fields respectively. The theoretical model for the calculation of the transmission characteristics of a ground-state Raman-amplified Faraday dispersion atomic optical filter based on Raman gain and Faraday rotation is presented. The results show that the filter in a coherent pump field can achieve higher transmission and larger tunability than that in an incoherent pump field due to elimination of pumping detuning. In addition, the filter has a large scale tunability over 3.5 GHz via the Faraday transmission peak adjusted while its bandwidth is only 66 MHz, which is useful for free-space laser communication and lidar systems.

Controllable spontaneous emission from a double Λ-type four-level atom in an anisotropic photonic crystal

The spontaneous emission behavior of a double Λ-type four-level atom embedded in a photonic crystal (PC) with anisotropic dispersion relations is investigated. It is shown that some interesting phenomena such as the spectral-line enhancement, the spectral-line narrowing, the spectral-line suppression and the spontaneous emission cancellation can be observed by adjusting the density of states of the photonic-band-gap (PBG) reservoir and the combination of two pump intensities. The proposed scheme can be achieved by use of coherent pump fields into the transitions from the upper levels to the ground level in rubidium atom confined in a PC. These theoretical investigations may provide more degrees of freedom to manipulate the atomic spontaneous emission.

Switching from subluminal to superluminal light propagation via a coherent pump field in a four-level atomic system

We theoretically investigate the influence of a coherent pump field on the propagation of a weak light pulse of a probe field in a four-level atomic system. Due to the modulation of the pump field, the light pulse can be manipulated from subluminal to superluminal with negligible distortion. This scheme can be realized in both the ultracold and Doppler-broadened atomic systems. We also demonstrate that the spectral linewidth with an anomalous dispersion is reduced by thermal averaging; therefore, one can obtain a larger negative group refractive index in room-temperature vapor than the largest value achieved in ultracold atomic gas.