Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement Research Articles

Experimental demonstration on quantum coherence evolution of two-mode squeezed state

As one of the most remarkable features of quantum mechanics, quantum coherence is regarded as an important quantum resource in the quantum information processing. The one-mode squeezed state and the two-mode squeezed state (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entangled states) as the most representative examples of nonclassical states both have quantum coherence. The squeezing property of the squeezed state is described by the variance of quadrature components, and the positive partial transposition (PPT) criterion is used to describe the entanglement of the EPR entangled states. The research of the quantum coherence of Gaussian states is also a bridge between the properties of squeezing and entanglement. It has been shown that the quantum coherence with infinite-dimensional systems can be quantified by relative entropy. One of the widely used effective methods to obtain the value of quantum coherence experimentally is the quantum tomography. The covariance matrices of the quantum states are reconstructed via balanced homodyne detection and then taken into quantum coherence expression to calculate the corresponding value. The main factors affecting quantum coherence are the classical and uncorrelated noise in the actual experimental generation processing and the decoherence effect caused by the coupling between quantum resources and the surrounding environment. And the quantum coherence evolution in the generation and transmission process of the quantum resources is essential for the practical applications. Therefore, we analyze in detail the influences of the impurity of quantum resource on squeezing, entanglement and quantum coherence. The evolutions of quantum coherence of these Gaussian states in the lossy channels are demonstrated experimentally. The quantum coherence is shown to be robust against the loss in the lossy channels, which is similar to the case of squeezing and entanglement. The quantum coherences of the squeezed states and the EPR entangled states are robust against the thermal photons in the actual experimental generation processing, although the squeezing and entanglement of Gaussian states disappear at a certain number of thermal photons. Our research results provide a reference for the practical applications of quantum coherence of the squeezed state and entangled states in the lossy environment.

Quantum ghost imaging of a transparent polarisation sensitive phase pattern

A transparent polarisation sensitive phase pattern exhibits a position and polarisation dependent phase shift of transmitted light and it represents a unitary transformation. A quantum ghost image of this pattern is produced with hyper-entangled photons consisting of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) and polarisation entanglement. In quantum ghost imaging, a single photon interacts with the pattern and is detected by a stationary detector and a non-interacting photon is imaged on a coincidence camera. EPR entanglement manifests spatial correlations between an object plane and a ghost image plane, whereas a polarisation dependent phase shift exhibited by the pattern is detected with polarisation entanglement. In this quantum ghost imaging, the which-position-polarisation information of a photon interacting with the pattern is not present in the experiment. A quantum ghost image is constructed by measuring correlations of the polarisation-momentum of an interacting photon with polarisation-position of a non-interacting photon. The experiment is performed with a coincidence single photon detection camera, where a non-interacting photon travels a long optical path length of 17.83 m from source to camera and a pattern is positioned at an optical distance of 19.16 m from the camera.

Quantum Gravity Emergence from Entanglement in a Multi-Fold Universe

We start from a hypothetical multi-fold universe U_MF, where the propagation of everything is slower or equal to ‎the speed of light and where entanglement extends the set of paths available to Path Integrals. This multifold ‎mechanism enables EPR (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen) “spooky actions at distance” to result from local interactions ‎in the resulting folds. It produces gravity-like attractive effective potentials in the spacetime, between entangled ‎entities, that are caused by the curvature of the folds. When quantized, multi-folds correspond to gravitons and ‎they are enablers of EPR entanglement. Gravity emerges non-perturbative and covariant from EPR entanglement ‎between virtual particles surrounding an entity. In U_MF, we encounter mechanisms that predict gravity fluctuations ‎when entanglement is present, including in macroscopic entanglements. Besides providing a new perspective on ‎quantum gravity, when added to the Standard Model as (SMG), with non-negligible affects at its scales, and to the ‎Standard Cosmology, U_MF can contribute explanations of several open questions and challenges. It also clarifies ‎some relationships and challenges met by other quantum gravity models and Theories of Everything. It leads to ‎suggestions for these works. We also reconstruct the spacetime of U_MF, starting from the random walks of particles ‎in an early spacetime. U_MF now appears as a noncommutative, discrete, yet Lorentz symmetric, spacetime that ‎behaves roughly 2-Dimensional at Planck scales, when it is a graph of microscopic Planck size black holes on a ‎random walk fractal structure left by particles that can also appear as microscopic black holes. Of course, at larger ‎scales, spacetime appears 4-D, where we are able to explain curvature and recover Einstein’s General Relativity. We ‎also discover an entanglement gravity-like contributions and massive gravity at very small scales. This is ‎remarkable considering that no Hilbert Einstein action, or variations expressing area invariance, were introduced. ‎Our model also explains why semi classical approaches can work till way smaller scale than usually expected and ‎present a new view on an Ultimate Unification of all forces, at very small scales. We also explore opportunities for ‎falsifiability and validation of our model, as well as ideas for futuristic applications, that may be worth considering, ‎if U_MF was a suitable model for our universe U_real.‎

Distillation of Gaussian Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering with noiseless linear amplification

Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering is one of the most intriguing features of quantum mechanics and an important resource for quantum communication. For practical applications, it remains a challenge to protect EPR steering from decoherence due to its intrinsic difference from entanglement. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the distillation of Gaussian EPR steering and entanglement in lossy and noisy environments using measurement-based noiseless linear amplification. Different from entanglement distillation, the extension of steerable region happens in the distillation of EPR steering, besides the enhancement of steerabilities. We demonstrate that the two-way or one-way steerable region is extended after the distillation of EPR steering when the NLA is implemented based on Bob’s or Alice’s measurement results. We also show that the NLA helps to extract the secret key from the insecure region in one-sided device-independent quantum key distribution with EPR steering. Our work paves the way for quantum communication exploiting EPR steering in practical quantum channels.

Topologically protected quantum entanglement emitters

Entanglement and topology portray nature at the fundamental level but differently. Entangled states of particles are intrinsically sensitive to the environment, whereas the topological phases of matter are naturally robust against environmental perturbations. Harnessing topology to protect entanglement has great potential for reliable quantum applications. Generating topologically protected entanglement, however, remains a significant challenge, requiring the operation of complex quantum devices in extreme conditions. Here we report topologically protected entanglement emitters that emit a topological Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen state and a multiphoton entangled state from a monolithically integrated plug-and-play silicon photonic chip in ambient conditions. The device emulating a photonic anomalous Floquet insulator allows the generation of four-photon topological entangled states at non-trivial edge modes, verified by the observation of a reduced de Broglie wavelength. Remarkably, we show that the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entanglement can be topologically protected against artificial structure defects by comparing the state fidelities of 0.968 ± 0.004 and 0.951 ± 0.010 for perfect and defected emitters, respectively. Our topologically protected devices may find applications in quantum computation and in the study of quantum topological physics.

Certifying position-momentum entanglement at telecommunication wavelengths

The successful employment of high-dimensional quantum correlations and its integration in telecommunication infrastructures is vital in cutting-edge quantum technologies for increasing robustness and key generation rate. Position-momentum Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement of photon pairs are a promising resource of such high-dimensional quantum correlations. Here, we experimentally certify EPR correlations of photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in a nonlinear crystal with type-0 phase-matching at telecommunication wavelength for the first time. To experimentally observe EPR entanglement, we perform scanning measurements in the near- and far-field planes of the signal and idler modes. We certify EPR correlations with high statistical significance of up to 45 standard deviations. Furthermore, we determine the entanglement of formation of our source to be greater than one, indicating a dimensionality of greater than 2. Operating at telecommunication wavelengths around 1550 nm, our source is compatible with today’s deployed telecommunication infrastructure, thus paving the way for integrating sources of high-dimensional entanglement into quantum-communication infrastructures.

Identifying genuine quantum teleportation

Quantum teleportation is a method for utilizing quantum measurements and the maximally entangled Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) pair to transmit an unknown quantum state. It is well known that all entangled states demonstrate so-called "nonclassical teleportation" that cannot be simulated by the seminal classical measure-prepare strategy. Herein, we propose a new benchmark which reveals that not all nonclassical teleportations are truly quantum-mechanical. Rather, there exists a more robust classical-teleportation model, which includes the measure-prepare mimicry as a special case, that can describe certain nonclassical teleportations. Invalidating such a general classical model indicates genuine quantum teleportation wherein both the pair state and the measurement are truly quantum-mechanical. We prove that EPR steering empowers genuine quantum teleportations, rather than entanglement. The new benchmark can be readily used in practical experiments for ensuring that genuine quantum teleportation is implemented. The results presented herein provide strict criteria for implementing quantum-information processing where genuine quantum teleportation is indispensable.

Chaotic Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen pairs, measurements and time reversal

We consider a situation when evolution of an entangled Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) pair takes place in a regime of quantum chaos being chaotic in the classical limit. This situation is studied on an example of chaotic pair dynamics described by the quantum Chirikov standard map. The time evolution is reversible even if a presence of small errors breaks time reversal of classical dynamics due to exponential growth of errors induced by exponential chaos instability. However, the quantum evolution remains reversible since a quantum dynamics instability exists only on a logarithmically short Ehrenfest time scale. We show that due to EPR pair entanglement a measurement of one particle at the moment of time reversal breaks exact time reversal of another particle which demonstrates only an approximat time reversibility. This result is interpreted in the framework of the Schmidt decomposition and Feynman path integral formulation of quantum mechanics. The time reversal in this system has already been realized with cold atoms in kicked optical lattices in absence of entanglement and measurements. On the basis of the obtained results, we argue that the experimental investigations of time reversal of chaotic EPR pairs are within reach of present cold atom capabilities.

Controllable continuous variable quantum state distributor.

To scale quantum information processing, quantum state distributors are an indispensable technology in quantum networks. We present a universal scheme of a continuous variable quantum state distributor that performs point-to-multipoint distributions via quantum teleportation with partially disembodied transport. The fidelity of the state at the output nodes can be conveniently manipulated as needed by engineering the correlation noise of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) beam. For a 1→2 distributor, controllable distributions were demonstrated by manipulating the squeezing factor of EPR entanglement. The fidelities of the two receivers gradually changed from (2/3, 2/3) to (0.95, 0.17) corresponding to the transition from symmetric to asymmetric quantum cloning.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement and asymmetric steering between distant macroscopic mechanical and magnonic systems

We propose a deterministic scheme for establishing hybrid Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement channel between a macroscopic mechanical oscillator and a magnon mode in a distant yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) sphere across about ten gigahertz of frequency difference. The system consists of a driven electromechanical cavity which is unidirectionally coupled to a distant electromagnonical cavity inside which a YIG sphere is placed. We find that far beyond the sideband-resolved regime in the electromechanical subsystem, stationary phonon-magnon EPR entanglement can be achieved. This is realized by utilizing the output field of the electromechanical cavity being an intermediary which distributes the electromechanical entanglement to the magnons, thus establishing a remote phonon-magnon entanglement. The EPR entanglement is strong enough such that phonon-magnon quantum steering can be attainable in an asymmetric manner. This long-distance macroscopic hybrid EPR entanglement and steering enable potential applications not only in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics at the macro scale, but also in quantum networking and one-sided device-independent quantum cryptography based on magnonics and electromechanics.

Entanglement between distant macroscopic mechanical and spin systems

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.

Frequency-dependent squeezing generation with EPR entanglement

The sensitivity of gravitational wave interferometric detectors is ultimately limited by the quantum noise, which arises from the quantum nature of light and it is driven by vacuum fluctuations of the optical field entering from the dark port of the interferometer. One way to improve the sensitivity of gravitational wave interferometers is to inject squeezed vacuum into the dark port. This has been already demonstrated for the main gravitational wave detectors (GEO, Advanced LIGO and Advanced VIRGO). We are studying tricks to produce a “frequency- dependent squeezing”: a standard method is to filter the squeezed optical field with one or more optical cavities (300 m long cavities). An alternative method using a pair of squeezed EPR (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen) entangled beams to produce frequency-dependent squeezing by a non-degenerate OPO (Optical Parametric Oscillator) will be discussed in this paper. This method promises to achieve a frequency-dependent optimization of the injected squeezed light fields without the need for an external filter cavity.

Experimental observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering via entanglement detection

The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering is an intermediate quantum nonlocality between entanglement and Bell nonlocality, which plays an important role in quantum information processing tasks. In the past few years, the investigations concerning EPR steering have been demonstrated in a series of experiments. However, these studies rely on the relevant steering inequalities and the choices of measurement settings. Here, we experimentally verify the EPR steering via entanglement detection without using any steering inequality and measurement setting. By constructing two new states from a two-qubit target state, we observe the EPR steering by detecting the entanglement of these new states. The results show that the entanglement of the newly constructed states can be regarded as a new kind of steering witness for target states. Compared to the results of Xiao et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 140404 (2017)], we find that the ability of detecting EPR steering in our scenario is stronger than two-setting projective measurements, which can observe more steerable states. Hence, our demonstrations can deepen the understanding of the connection between the EPR steering and entanglement.

Improved squeezing of noise

Two articles in Nature Photonics demonstrate how Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entanglement can reduce quantum noise in gravitational-wave interferometers.

Generation and control of frequency-dependent squeezing via Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entanglement

Quantum noise-limited displacement sensors such as gravitational wave detectors can be improved by using non-classical light1. This has been achieved in limited bands and in a single quadrature (that is, only one of a pair of conjugate variables) by injecting single-mode squeezed vacuum states2,3. Quantum noise in gravitational wave detectors, however, results from input noise in both quadratures, with the dominant quadrature being a function of Fourier frequency. Broadband reduction of this noise via squeezed light injection then requires a method of rotating this quadrature. This can be accomplished with a low-loss, all-pass optical filter with bandwidth in the low audio frequencies4,5, a substantial technical challenge. We present a proof-of-principle demonstration of a recent proposal6 to use two-mode squeezed vacuum states with Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) entanglement, which allows the gravitational detector to simultaneously serve as the optical filter, eliminating the need for a separate apparatus. Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen entangled beams are sent to a 0.5-m-long optical resonator. To reduce quantum noise in a frequency-dependent manner in the gravitational detector, two-mode frequency-dependent squeezed vacuum states are generated.

Demonstration of interferometer enhancement through EPR entanglement.

The recent series of gravitational-wave (GW) detections by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo observatories launched the new field of GW astronomy. As the sensitivity of GW detectors is limited by quantum noise of light, concepts from quantum metrology have been adapted to increase the observational range. Since 2010, squeezed light with reduced quantum noise has been used for improved sensitivity at signal frequencies above 100 Hz. However, 100 m long optical filter resonators would be required to also improve the sensitivity at lower frequencies, adding significant cost and complexity. Here we report on a proof-of-principle setup of an alternative concept that achieves the broadband noise reduction by using Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entangled states instead. We show that the desired sensitivity improvement can then be obtained with the signal-recycling resonator that is already part of current observatories, providing the viable alternative to high-cost filter cavities.

Experimental demonstration of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement in rotating coordinate space

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement involving a pair of particles entangled in their positions and momenta is of special interest in the field of quantum information. Previously, EPR entanglement has been studied in different physical systems but in fixed coordinate spaces. Here, we demonstrate an experiment of ghost imaging and ghost interference in rotated position-momentum spaces by using position-momentum entangled photons generated from a hot atomic ensemble. By using different image objects, the measured position-momentum correlations exhibit intriguing dynamics, including gradual decrease and axis-independent EPR entanglement. The reported results on manipulating the EPR entanglement in rotating coordinate spaces hold promise in quantum communication and distant quantum image processing.

Generation and characterization of position-momentum entangled photon pairs in a hot atomic gas cell.

Continuous-variable position-momentum entanglement (or Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement) of two particles has played important roles in the fundamental study of quantum physics as well as in the progress of quantum information. In this paper, we propose a scheme to generate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) position-momentum entangled photon pairs efficiently via spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) process in a hot rubidium gas cell. The EPR entanglement between the photon pair is measured and characterized by using the ghost interference and the ghost imaging method. Due to the simplicity of the experimental setup and the high photon pair generation rate, our EPR entangled photon source may has potential applications in quantum imaging, hyperentanglement preparation and atomic ensemble based quantum information processing and quantum communication protocols.

Quantifying the Mesoscopic Nature of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Nonlocality.

Evidence for Bell's nonlocality is so far mainly restricted to microscopic systems, where the elements of reality that are negated predetermine results of measurements to within one spin unit. Any observed nonlocal effect (or lack of classical predetermination) is then limited to no more than the difference of a single photon or electron being detected or not (at a given detector). In this paper, we analyze experiments that report the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering form of nonlocality for mesoscopic photonic or Bose-Einstein condensate systems. Using an EPR steering parameter, we show how the EPR nonlocalities involved can be quantified for four-mode states, to give evidence of EPR-nonlocal effects corresponding to a two-mode number difference of 10^{5} photons, or of several tens of atoms (at a given site). Applying to experiments, we also show how the variance criterion of Duan, Giedke, Cirac and Zoller for EPR entanglement can be used to determine a lower bound on the number of particles in a pure two-mode EPR-entangled or steerable state.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement between separated atomic ensembles

The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement is of special importance not only for fundamental research in quantum mechanics, but also for quantum information processing. Establishing EPR entanglement between two memory systems, such as atomic ensembles, nitrogen-vacancy centers, and rare-earth-ion-doped solids is promising for realizing spatial-multimode based quantum communication, quantum computation, and quantum imaging. To date, there have been few reports on realizing EPR entanglement between physical systems in true position and momentum. Here we describe successfully establishing such entanglement between two separated atomic ensembles by using quantum storage. We clearly prove the existence of EPR entanglement in position and momentum between two memories by demonstrating the satisfying of the inseparability criterion with the aid of quantum ghost-imaging and ghost-interference experiments.