Homodyne Measurement Research Articles

Axion detection via superfluid 3He ferromagnetic phase and quantum measurement techniques

We propose to use the nuclear spin excitation in the ferromagnetic A1 phase of the superfluid 3He for the axion dark matter detection. This approach is striking in that it is sensitive to the axion-nucleon coupling, one of the most important features of the QCD axion introduced to solve the strong CP problem. We review a quantum mechanical description of the nuclear spin excitation and apply it to the estimation of the axion-induced spin excitation rate. We also describe a possible detection method of the spin excitation in detail and show that the combination of the squeezing of the final state with the Josephson parametric amplifier and the homodyne measurement can enhance the sensitivity. It turns out that this approach gives good sensitivity to the axion dark matter with the mass of O\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{O} $$\\end{document}(1) μeV depending on the size of the external magnetic field. We estimate the parameters of experimental setups, e.g., the detector volume and the amplitude of squeezing, required to reach the QCD axion parameter space.

Adaptive Phase Estimation with Squeezed Vacuum Approaching the Quantum Limit

Phase estimation plays a central role in communications, sensing, and information processing. Quantum correlated states, such as squeezed states, enable phase estimation beyond the shot-noise limit, and in principle approach the ultimate quantum limit in precision, when paired with optimal quantum measurements. However, physical realizations of optimal quantum measurements for optical phase estimation with quantum-correlated states are still unknown. Here we address this problem by introducing an adaptive Gaussian measurement strategy for optical phase estimation with squeezed vacuum states that, by construction, approaches the quantum limit in precision. This strategy builds from a comprehensive set of locally optimal POVMs through rotations and homodyne measurements and uses the Adaptive Quantum State Estimation framework for optimizing the adaptive measurement process, which, under certain regularity conditions, guarantees asymptotic optimality for this quantum parameter estimation problem. As a result, the adaptive phase estimation strategy based on locally-optimal homodyne measurements achieves the quantum limit within the phase interval of [0,π/2). Furthermore, we generalize this strategy by including heterodyne measurements, enabling phase estimation across the full range of phases from [0,π), where squeezed vacuum allows for unambiguous phase encoding. Remarkably, for this phase interval, which is the maximum range of phases that can be encoded in squeezed vacuum, this estimation strategy maintains an asymptotic quantum-optimal performance, representing a significant advancement in quantum metrology.

Heisenberg-limited Hamiltonian learning for interacting bosons

We develop a protocol for learning a class of interacting bosonic Hamiltonians from dynamics with Heisenberg-limited scaling. For Hamiltonians with an underlying bounded-degree graph structure, we can learn all parameters with root mean square error ϵ using O(1/ϵ)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\\mathcal{O}}(1/\\epsilon )$$\\end{document} total evolution time, which is independent of the system size, in a way that is robust against state-preparation and measurement error. In the protocol, we only use bosonic coherent states, beam splitters, phase shifters, and homodyne measurements, which are easy to implement on many experimental platforms. A key technique we develop is to apply random unitaries to enforce symmetry in the effective Hamiltonian, which may be of independent interest.

Quantum-enhanced joint estimation of phase and phase diffusion

Accurate phase estimation in the presence of unknown phase diffusive noise is a crucial yet challenging task in noisy quantum metrology. This problem is particularly interesting due to the detrimental impact of the associated noise. Here, we investigate the joint estimation of phase and phase diffusion using generalized Holland–Burnett states, known for their experimental accessibility. These states provide performance close to the optimal state in single-parameter phase estimation, even in the presence of photon losses. We adopt a twofold approach by analyzing the joint information extraction through the double homodyne measurement and the joint information availability across all probe states. Through our analysis, we find that the highest sensitivities are obtained by using states created by directing all input photons into one port of a balanced beam splitter. Furthermore, we infer that good levels of sensitivity persist even in the presence of moderate photon losses, illustrating the remarkable resilience of our probe states under lossy conditions.

Sufficient Condition for Universal Quantum Computation Using Bosonic Circuits

Continuous-variable bosonic systems stand as prominent candidates for implementing quantum computational tasks. While various necessary criteria have been established to assess their resourcefulness, sufficient conditions have remained elusive. We address this gap by focusing on promoting circuits that are otherwise simulatable to computational universality. The class of simulatable, albeit non-Gaussian, circuits that we consider is composed of Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) states, Gaussian operations, and homodyne measurements. Based on these circuits, we first introduce a general framework for mapping a continuous-variable state into a qubit state. Subsequently, we cast existing maps into this framework, including the modular and stabilizer subsystem decompositions. By combining these findings with established results for discrete-variable systems, we formulate a sufficient condition for achieving universal quantum computation. Leveraging this, we evaluate the computational resourcefulness of a variety of states, including Gaussian states, finite-squeezing GKP states, and cat states. Furthermore, our framework reveals that both the stabilizer subsystem decomposition and the modular subsystem decomposition (of position-symmetric states) can be constructed in terms of simulatable operations. This establishes a robust resource-theoretical foundation for employing these techniques to evaluate the logical content of a generic continuous-variable state, which can be of independent interest. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Quantum theory of temporally mismatched homodyne measurements with applications to optical-frequency-comb metrology

Quantum theory of temporally mismatched homodyne measurements with applications to optical-frequency-comb metrology

Single-mode squeezed-light generation and tomography with an integrated optical parametric oscillator.

Quantum optical technologies promise advances in sensing, computing, and communication. A key resource is squeezed light, where quantum noise is redistributed between optical quadratures. We introduce a monolithic, chip-scale platform that exploits the χ(2) nonlinearity of a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) resonator device to efficiently generate squeezed states of light. Our system integrates all essential components-except for the laser and two detectors-on a single chip with an area of one square centimeter, reducing the size, operational complexity, and power consumption associated with conventional setups. Using the balanced homodyne measurement subsystem that we implemented on the same chip, we measure a squeezing of 0.55 decibels and an anti-squeezing of 1.55 decibels. We use 20 milliwatts of input power to generate the parametric oscillator pump field by using second harmonic generation on the same chip. Our work represents a step toward compact and efficient quantum optical systems posed to leverage the rapid advances in integrated nonlinear and quantum photonics.

Label-free assessment of cellular health states using quantum light homodyne measurement

Label-free assessment of cellular health states using quantum light homodyne measurement

Finite-size security proof of binary-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution using only heterodyne measurement

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) has many practical advantages including compatibility with current optical communication technology. Implementation using heterodyne measurements is particularly attractive since it eliminates the need for active phase locking of the remote pair of local oscillators, but the full security of CV QKD with discrete modulation was only proved for a protocol using homodyne measurements. Here we propose an all-heterodyne CV-QKD protocol with binary modulation and prove its security against general attacks in the finite-key regime. Although replacing a homodyne measurement with a heterodyne measurement would be naively expected to incur a 3-dB penalty in the rate-distance curve, our proof achieves a key rate with only a 1-dB penalty.

Quantum retrodiction in Gaussian systems and applications in optomechanics

What knowledge can be obtained from the record of a continuous measurement about the quantum state of the measured system at the beginning of the measurement? The task of quantum state retrodiction, the inverse of the more common state prediction, is rigorously addressed in quantum measurement theory through retrodictive positive operator-valued measures (POVMs). This introduction to this general framework presents its practical formulation for retrodicting Gaussian quantum states using continuous-time homodyne measurements and applies it to optomechanical systems. We identify and characterize achievable retrodictive POVMs in common optomechanical operating modes with resonant or off-resonant driving fields and specific choices of local oscillator frequencies in homodyne detection. In particular, we demonstrate the possibility of a near-ideal measurement of the quadrature of the mechanical oscillator, giving direct access to the position or momentum distribution of the oscillator at a given time. This forms the basis for complete quantum state tomography, albeit in a destructive manner.

Logical states for fault-tolerant quantum computation with propagating light.

To harness the potential of a quantum computer, quantum information must be protected against error by encoding it into a logical state that is suitable for quantum error correction. The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) qubit is a promising candidate because the required multiqubit operations are readily available at optical frequency. To date, however, GKP qubits have been demonstrated only at mechanical and microwave frequencies. We realized a GKP state in propagating light at telecommunication wavelength and verified it through homodyne measurements without loss corrections. The generation is based on interference of cat states, followed by homodyne measurements. Our final states exhibit nonclassicality and non-Gaussianity, including the trident shape of faint instances of GKP states. Improvements toward brighter, multipeaked GKP qubits will be the basis for quantum computation with light.

Characterizing two-mode-squeezed light from four-wave mixing in rubidium vapor for quantum sensing and information processing.

We present a study of homodyne measurements of two-mode, vacuum-seeded, quadrature-squeezed light generated by four-wave mixing in warm rubidium vapor. Our results reveal that the vacuum squeezing can extend down to measurement frequencies of less than 1 Hz, and the squeezing bandwidth, similar to the seeded intensity-difference squeezing measured in this system, reaches up to approximately 20 MHz for typical pump parameters. By dividing the squeezing bandwidth into smaller frequency bins, we show that different sideband frequencies represent independent sources of two-mode squeezing. These properties are useful for quantum sensing and quantum information processing applications. We also investigate the impact of group velocity delays on the correlations in the system, which allows us to optimize the useful spectrum.

State Estimation and Control for Stochastic Quantum Dynamics With Homodyne Measurement: Stabilizing Qubits Under Uncertainty

State Estimation and Control for Stochastic Quantum Dynamics With Homodyne Measurement: Stabilizing Qubits Under Uncertainty

Distributional Transform Based Information Reconciliation

In this paper, we present an information reconciliation protocol designed for Continuous-Variable QKD using the Distributional Transform. By combining tools from copula and information theory, we present a method for extracting independent symmetric Bernoulli bits for Gaussian-modulated CVQKD protocols, which we called the Distributional Transform Expansion (DTE). We derived the expressions for the maximum reconciliation efficiency for both homodyne and heterodyne measurements, which, for the last, is achievable with an efficiency greater than 0.9 at a signal-to-noise ratio lower than -3.6 dB.

A pedagogical introduction to continuously monitored quantum systems and measurement-based feedback

In this manuscript we present a pedagogical introduction to continuously monitored quantum systems. We start by giving a simplified derivation of the Markovian master equation in Lindblad form, in the spirit of collision models and input-output theory, which describes the unconditional dynamics of a continuously monitored system. The same formalism is then exploited to derive stochastic master equations that describe the conditional dynamics. We focus on the two most paradigmatic examples of continuous monitoring: continuous photodetection, leading to a discontinuous dynamics with “quantum jumps”, and continuous homodyne measurements, leading to a diffusive dynamics. We then present a derivation of feedback master equations that describe the dynamics (either conditional or unconditional) when the continuous measurement photocurrents are fed back to the system as a linear driving Hamiltonian, a paradigm known as linear Markovian feedback. In the second part of the manuscript we focus on continuous-variable Gaussian systems: we first present the equations for first and second moments describing the dynamics under continuous general-dyne measurements, and we then discuss in more detail the conditional and unconditional dynamics under Markovian and state-based feedback.

Enhancing quantum synchronization through homodyne measurement, noise, and squeezing.

Quantum synchronization has been a central topic in quantum nonlinear dynamics. Despite the rapid development in this field, very few have studied how to efficiently boost synchronization. Homodyne measurement emerges as one of the successful candidates for this task but preferably in the semiclassical regime. In our work, we focus on the phase synchronization of a harmonic-driven quantum Stuart-Landau oscillator and show that the enhancement induced by homodyne measurement persists into the quantum regime. Interestingly, optimal two-photon damping rates exist when the oscillator and driving are at resonance and with a small single-photon damping rate. We also report noise-induced enhancement in quantum synchronization when the single-photon damping rate is sufficiently large. Apart from these results, we discover that adding a squeezing Hamiltonian can further boost synchronization, especially in the semiclassical regime. Furthermore, the addition of squeezing causes the optimal two-photon pumping rates to shift and converge.

Quantum estimation of rotational speed in optomechanics

We study the quantum Fisher information (QFI) of the angular velocity of rotation in an optomechanical system. Based on the Gaussian measurements method, we derive the explicit form of a single-mode Gaussian QFI, which is valid for arbitrary angular velocity of rotation. The information about the angular velocity to be measured is contained in the optical covariance matrix, which can be experimentally determined via homodyne measurement. We find that QFI increases rapidly when driving the system close to the unstable boundary. This result can be attributed to the strong nonlinearity of the system at the unstable boundary. Our results indicate the possibility of using an optomechanical system for high precision detection of the angular velocity of rotation.

Vacuum provides quantum advantage to otherwise simulatable architectures

We consider a computational model composed of ideal Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill stabilizer states, Gaussian operations including all rational symplectic operations and all real displacements, and homodyne measurement. We prove that such architecture is classically efficiently simulatable by explicitly providing an algorithm to calculate the probability density function of the measurement outcomes of the computation. We also provide a method to sample when the circuits contain conditional operations. This result is based on an extension of the celebrated Gottesman-Knill theorem, via introducing proper stabilizer operators for the code at hand. We conclude that the resource enabling quantum advantage in the universal computational model considered by Baragiola et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 200502 (2019)], composed of a subset of the elements given above augmented with a provision of vacuum states, is indeed the vacuum state.

Over-8-dB squeezed light generation by a broadband waveguide optical parametric amplifier toward fault-tolerant ultra-fast quantum computers

We achieved continuous-wave 8.3-dB squeezed light generation using a terahertz-order-broadband waveguide optical parametric amplifier by improving a measurement setup from our previous work [T. Kashiwazaki et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 119, 251104 (2021)], where a low-loss periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide had shown 6.3-dB squeezing at a 6 THz frequency. First, to improve efficiency of the squeezed light detection, we reduced effective optical loss to about 12% by removing extra optics and changing the detection method into a low-loss balanced homodyne measurement. Second, to minimize phase-locking fluctuation, we constructed a frequency-optimized phase-locking system by comprehending its frequency responses. Finally, we found optimal experimental parameters of a measurement frequency and a pump power from their dependences for the squeezing levels. The measurement frequency was decided as 11 MHz to maximize a clearance between shot and circuit noises. Furthermore, pump power was optimized as 660 mW to get higher squeezing level while suppressing anti-squeezed-noise contamination due to an imperfection of phase locking. Note that this over-8-dB squeezing is achieved without any loss-correction and circuit-noise correction. Moreover, it is shown that the squeezing level soon after our PPLN waveguide is estimated at over 10 dB, which is thought to be mainly restricted by the waveguide loss. This broadband highly squeezed light opens the possibility to realize fault-tolerant ultra-fast optical quantum computers.

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.