Quantum Optical Effects Research Articles

Consciousness: a quantum optical effect in fluorescent protein pathways

This paper presents a physical mechanism of embodied consciousness based on the dynamic organicity theory. We use the entropic pilot wave theory to describe the quantum dipole oscillations from dipole-bound delocalized (quasi-free) electrons in nonpolar nanocavities of aromatic amino acid residues (benzene moiety /cyclic hydrocarbons that contain resonance structures) and their fluorescent pathways. These pathways contain cavity quasipolariton condensates composed of quantized polarization waves of entangled photons. The behavior of oscillating molecular dipoles is influenced by the quantum nature of dynamic organicity, which causes energy fluctuations necessary to move delocalized electrons and create bare polaritons (quantized polarization waves). These waves correspond to photon quasiparticles interacting with water molecules to form quasipolaritons, softened by interacting with hydroxide ions (OH-) within crystal lattices of interfacial water H30. When [H3O+]=[OH−], the solution is neutral in hydrophobic nanocavities. In such nonpolar cavities, evanescent photons (non-radiative transitions in the absence of any source) are emitted while protons (H+) diffuse due to recombination with hydroxide (OH-) ions, acting as protonic analogs of ‘holes’ or excitons. In protein pores, proton motion strongly coupled with π-electron delocalization is a conduit for exciton-photon (polariton) and its polarization wave component. Internal energy fluctuations comprise both quantum potential energy and negative quantum kinetic energy. We explore how quantum potential energy influences the negentropic effect of a 'repulsive force' guided by entropic pilot waves through pilot wave force (negentropic force), functioning as an information-based action of the polarization wave as a conduit of the cavity quasipolariton. When the rate of change of quantum entropy is zero, and momentum of the polarization wave is zero the internal energy transduction between quantum potential energy to quantum kinetic energy manifests as the negentropic force and facilitates the movement of information-based action for information encoding when negative quantum kinetic energy happens at certain times. Experiments have shown that biphoton entanglement interferes with anaesthetics. We postulate that the disruption of cavity polaritonic condensate through its polarization wave component disrupts the decoding of information, suggesting consciousness is attributed to a quantum optical effect. Therefore, we further theorize that consciousness is attributed to the negative quantum kinetic energy of the polarization wave, which provides an informational structure of multiscale redundancy when negentropic action reduces information redundancy. This has profound implications for understanding consciousness as nonmechanical action channeled through negentropic force when the rate of change of quantum entropy is zero.

Local high chirality near exceptional points based on asymmetric backscattering

Abstract We investigate local high chirality inside a microcavity near exceptional points (EPs) achieved via asymmetric backscattering by two internal weak scatterers. At EPs, coalescent eigenmodes exhibit position-dependent and symmetric high chirality characteristics for a large azimuthal angle between the two scatterers. However, asymmetric mode field features appear near EPs, where two azimuthal regions in the microcavity classified by the scatterers exhibit different wave types and chirality. Such local mode field features are attributed to the symmetries of backscattering in direction and spatial distribution. The connections between the wave types, the symmetry of mode field distribution and different symmetries of backscattering near EPs are also discussed. Benefiting from the small size of weak scatterers, such microcavities with a high Q/V near EPs can be used to achieve circularly polarized quantum light sources and explore EP modified quantum optical effects in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems.

Microtubule-Stabilizer Epothilone B Delays Anesthetic-Induced Unconsciousness in Rats.

Volatile anesthetics are currently believed to cause unconsciousness by acting on one or more molecular targets including neural ion channels, receptors, mitochondria, synaptic proteins, and cytoskeletal proteins. Anesthetic gases including isoflurane bind to cytoskeletal microtubules (MTs) and dampen their quantum optical effects, potentially contributing to causing unconsciousness. This possibility is supported by the finding that taxane chemotherapy consisting of MT-stabilizing drugs reduces the effectiveness of anesthesia during surgery in human cancer patients. In order to experimentally assess the contribution of MTs as functionally relevant targets of volatile anesthetics, we measured latencies to loss of righting reflex (LORR) under 4% isoflurane in male rats injected subcutaneously with vehicle or 0.75 mg/kg of the brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing drug epothilone B (epoB). EpoB-treated rats took an average of 69 s longer to become unconscious as measured by latency to LORR. This was a statistically significant difference corresponding to a standardized mean difference (Cohen's d) of 1.9, indicating a "large" normalized effect size. The effect could not be accounted for by tolerance from repeated exposure to isoflurane. Our results suggest that binding of the anesthetic gas isoflurane to MTs causes unconsciousness and loss of purposeful behavior in rats (and presumably humans and other animals). This finding is predicted by models that posit consciousness as a property of a quantum physical state of neural MTs.

Modeling quantum optical phenomena using transition currents

Spontaneous light emission is central to a vast range of physical systems and is a founding pillar for the theory of light–matter interactions. In the presence of complex photonic media, the description of spontaneous light emission usually requires advanced theoretical quantum optics tools such as macroscopic quantum electrodynamics, involving quantized electromagnetic fields. Although rigorous and comprehensive, the complexity of such models can obscure the intuitive understanding of many quantum-optical phenomena. Here, we review a method for calculating spontaneous emission and other quantum-optical processes without making explicit use of quantized electromagnetic fields. Instead, we introduce the concept of transition currents, comprising charges in matter that undergo transitions between initial and final quantum states. We show how predictions that usually demand advanced methods in quantum electrodynamics or quantum optics can be reproduced by feeding these transition currents as sources to the classical Maxwell equations. One then obtains the relevant quantum observables from the resulting classical field amplitudes, without washing out quantum optical effects. We show that this procedure allows for a straightforward description of quantum phenomena, even when going beyond the dipole approximation and single emitters. As illustrative examples, we calculate emission patterns and Purcell-enhanced emission rates in both bound-electron and free-electron systems. For the latter, we derive cathodoluminescence emission and energy-loss probabilities of free electrons interacting with nanostructured samples. In addition, we calculate quantum-beat phenomena in bound-electron systems and wave function-dependent optical coherence in free-electron systems. Remarkably, the transition-current formalism captures more complex phenomena, such as many-body interference effects and super-radiance of both bound- and free-electron systems, second-order processes such as two-photon emission, and quantum recoil corrections to free-electron radiation. We review a variety of light–matter interactions in fields ranging from electron microscopy to nanophotonics and quantum optics, for which the transition-current theoretical formalism facilitates practical simulations and a deeper understanding of novel applications.

Vortex beam induced spatial modulation of quantum-optical effects in a coherent atomic medium

We have studied two-dimensional absorption, gain, and corresponding refractive index profiles in a ladder-type three-level atomic system interacting with three coherent fields. One is a weak probe field considered as a plane wave, while the other two are the control fields taken as two Laguerre–Gaussian doughnut beams. Position dependence of two vortex beams induces the spatially modulated coherence at the condition of resonance, which enables us to obtain space-dependent absorption, transparency, gain without inversion (GWI), and refractive index enhancement in the present scheme. The azimuthal modulation of coherence effects is attributed to the presence of optical angular momentum of the vortex beams. Under the influence of an additional travelling wave field with the presence of two vortex beams, the present model leads us to obtain an ultra-large enhancement of refractive index at the resonant detuning of the fields. This phenomenon makes the atom-field system to play the equivalent role of a high-refractive-index prism. The role of near dipole–dipole (NDD) interaction on the modulation of position-dependent coherence effects has also been investigated. It has been shown that, without any inclusion of the travelling wave field in the system, the phenomenon of resonant enhancement of refractive index may also occur in the presence of NDD effect. The new way of generating spatially controlled GWI and nonlinear refractive index enhancement is specific to the present model. This work seems to be useful for finding its applications in spatially modulated coherence controlled electromagnetically induced transparency-based quantum devices like quantum optical memory, switches, and quantum logic gates, where the refractive index switching phenomenon is a prerequisite.

Janus Device Based on Liquid Crystal Regulation with a Large Incidence Angle: Analogous Quantum Optical Effect and Absorption

AbstractIn this paper, a Janus metastructure device (JMD) is proposed. The JMD design introduces asymmetric structures, which leads to the generation of analogous quantum optical effects when light is incident at large angles. Specifically, forward electromagnetic‐induced transparency (EIT) and backward narrowband absorption (NA) are achieved when light is incident along different directions, displaying Janus characteristics in the forward and backward directions. Additionally, the operating frequency of JMD can be controlled through the use of liquid crystal. Such features hold promising potential for various applications in photonic and optoelectronic fields. When the axial direction of the liquid crystal is oriented along the x‐direction, the JMD achieves a transparent window over 90% within 0.46–0.51 THz at forward incidence, and an absorption peak of 84.1% appears at 0.331 THz at backward incidence. When the axial direction is oriented along the y‐direction, the JMD achieves EIT in the range of 0.51–0.575 THz at forward incidence, and a backward absorption peak of 93.3% occurs at 0.305 THz. In addition, the performance changes at different polarization and incidence angles are presented. The mechanism of absorption generation, the method of suppressing excess absorption, and the parametric inversion of the electromagnetic characteristics of JMD are also discussed.

Collective Radiation of a Cascaded Quantum System: From Timed Dicke States to Inverted Ensembles.

The collective absorption and emission of light by an ensemble of atoms is at the heart of many fundamental quantum optical effects and the basis for numerous applications. However, beyond weak excitation, both experiment and theory become increasingly challenging. Here, we explore the regimes from weak excitation to inversion with ensembles of up to 1000 atoms that are trapped and optically interfaced using the evanescent field surrounding an optical nanofiber. We realize full inversion, with about 80% of the atoms being excited, and study their subsequent radiative decay into the guided modes. The data are very well-described by a simple model that assumes a cascaded interaction of the guided light with the atoms. Our results contribute to the fundamental understanding of the collective interaction of light and matter and are relevant for applications ranging from quantum memories to sources of nonclassical light to optical frequency standards.

Controllable atomic collision in a tight optical dipole trap.

Single atoms are interesting candidates for studying quantum optics and quantum information processing. Recently, trapping and manipulation of single atoms using tight optical dipole traps has generated considerable interest. Here we report an experimental investigation of the dynamics of atoms in a modified optical dipole trap with a backward propagating dipole trap beam, where a change in the two-atom collision rate by six times has been achieved. The theoretical model presented gives a prediction of high probabilities of few-atom loading rates under proper experimental conditions. This work provides an alternative approach to the control of the few-atom dynamics in a dipole trap and the study of the collective quantum optical effects of a few atoms.

Quantum-optical excitations of semiconductor nanostructures in a microcavity using a two-band model and a single-mode quantum field

We theoretically study quantum-optical properties of one- and two-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures, where the electronic band structure is described by a two-band tight-binding model. Since the focus of our work is on analyzing quantum-optical effects of systems with a continuous band structure, many-body processes like electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions are neglected. The quantum-optical interband excitations are fully incorporated and described by a Jaynes-Cummings-type model. The exciting quantum light can be a state with arbitrary photon statistics. For simplicity, the results discussed here are limited to single-photon and two-photon Fock states. Our analytical approach is based on the eigenvalue problem and can be utilized to obtain explicit expressions for the steady-state properties of the system. Numerical simulations are based on solutions of the equations of motion and allow for a more precise analysis of the dynamics and nonresonant excitations of the system. We demonstrate that during the interaction process, a collective excitation of the conduction band is formed. For nonresonant excitations, this collective dynamics results in interesting steady states, in which the resonantly addressed eigenstates are occupied. The presented model provides a framework for microscopic simulations of quantum-optically excited extended semiconductor nanostructures.

Quantum signatures in nonlinear gravitational waves

The effective quantum field theory description of gravity, despite its non-renormalizability, allows for predictions beyond classical general relativity. As we enter the age of gravitational wave astronomy, an important and timely question is whether measurable quantum predictions that depart from classical gravity, analogous to quantum optics effects which cannot be explained by classical electrodynamics, can be found. In this work, we investigate quantum signatures in gravitational waves using tools from quantum optics. Squeezed-coherent gravitational waves, which can exhibit sub-Poissonian graviton statistics, can enhance or suppress the signal measured by an interferometer, a characteristic effect of quantum squeezing. Moreover, we show that Gaussian gravitational wave quantum states can be reconstructed from measurements over an ensemble of optical fields interacting with a single copy of the gravitational wave, thus opening the possibility of detecting quantum features of gravity beyond classical general relativity.

All-optical switching based on plasmon-induced Enhancement of Index of Refraction

In quantum optical Enhancement of Index of Refraction (EIR), coherence and quantum interference render the atomic systems to exhibit orders of magnitude higher susceptibilities with vanishing or even negative absorption at their resonances. Here we show the plasmonic analogue of the quantum optical EIR effect in an optical system and further implement this in a linear all-optical switching mechanism. We realize plasmon-induced EIR using a particular plasmonic metasurface consisting of a square array of L-shaped meta-molecules. In contrast to the conventional methods, this approach provides a scheme to modulate the amplitude of incident signals by coherent control of absorption without implementing gain materials or nonlinear processes. Therefore, light is controlled by applying ultra-low intensity at the extreme levels of spatiotemporal localization. In the pursuit of potential applications of linear all-optical switching devices, this scheme may introduce an effective tool for improving the modulation strength of optical modulators and switches through the amplification of input signals at ultra-low power.

Quantum correlations and optical effects in a quantum-well cavity with a second-order nonlinearity

In this paper, we investigate the photon correlations and the statistical properties of light produced by an optical cavity with an embedded quantum well interacting with squeezed light. We show that the squeezed source substantially improves the intensity of the emitted light and generates a narrowing and a duplication of the spectrum peaks. With a strong dependence on frequency detuning, the cavity produces considerably squeezed radiation, and perfect squeezing is predicted for weak light–matter interactions. Furthermore, the system under consideration presents a bunching effect of the transmitted radiation resulting from weak pumping of the coherent field. The results obtained may have potential applications in the fields of very accurate measurement and quantum computing.

Describing High-Order Harmonic Generation Using Quantum Optical Models

Optical generation of high-order harmonics is a prototypical example of nonlinear light–matter interactions in the high-field regime. Quantum optical effects have recently been demonstrated to have a significant influence on this phenomenon. These findings underline the importance of understanding the dynamics of the quantized electromagnetic field during high-order harmonic generation. In the following, we discuss the challenges that are related to the theoretical description of this process and summarize the results that were obtained using the high-field, multimode generalization of well-known quantum optical models that are based on the concept of the two-level atom.

Process-controllable modulation of plasmon-induced transparency in terahertz metamaterials

Recently reported plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) in metamaterials endows the optical structures in classical systems with quantum optical effects. In particular, the nonreconfigurable nature in metamaterials makes multifunctional applications of PIT effects in terahertz communications and optical networks remain a great challenge. Here, we present an ultrafast process-selectable modulation of the PIT effect. By incorporating silicon islands into diatomic metamaterials, the PIT effect is modulated reversely, depending on the vertical and horizontal configurations, with giant modulation depths as high as 129% and 109%. Accompanied by the enormous switching of the transparent window, remarkable slow light effect occurs.

Mechanism and control of rotational coherence in femtosecond laser-driven N2.

We investigate the formation of rotational coherence of N2+ resonantly interacting with an intense femtosecond laser field by numerical simulations based on a strong-field ionization-coupling model described with the density matrix formalism. The created N2+ system is unique in many aspects: the variable total population within the pump duration due to the intensity-dependent ionization injection, the readily accessible resonance owing to the effect of Stark shift, and the involvement of a few dozen of quantum states. By regarding the N2+ system as an open and non-stationary Λ-type cascaded multi-level system, we quantitatively studied the dependence of rotational coherence in different electronic-vibrational states of N2+ on the alignment angle θ and the pumping intensity. Our simulation results indicate that the quantum coherence between the neighbouring rotational states of J, J+2 in the vibrational state ν=0, 1 of the ground state of N2+ can be changed from a negative to a positive. The significant contribution of rotational coherence to inducing an extra gain or absorption of N2+ air lasing is further verified by solving the Maxwell's propagating equation. The finding provides crucial clues on how to manipulate N2+ lasing by controlling the rotational coherence and paves the way to studying strong-field quantum optics effects such as lasing without inversion and electromagnetically induced transparency in molecular ionic systems.

Strong coupling as an interplay of quantum emitter hybridization with plasmonic dark and bright modes

Strong coupling between a single quantum emitter and an electromagnetic mode is one of the key effects in quantum optics. In the cavity QED approach to plasmonics, strongly coupled systems are usually understood as single-transition emitters resonantly coupled to a single radiative plasmonic mode. However, plasmonic cavities also support non-radiative (or "dark") modes, which offer much higher coupling strengths. On the other hand, realistic quantum emitters often support multiple electronic transitions of various symmetry, which could overlap with higher order plasmonic transitions -- in the blue or ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Here, we show that vacuum Rabi splitting with a single emitter can be achieved by leveraging dark modes of a plasmonic nanocavity. Specifically, we show that a significantly detuned electronic transition can be hybridized with a dark plasmon pseudomode, resulting in the vacuum Rabi splitting of the bright dipolar plasmon mode. We develop a simple model illustrating the modification of the system response in the "dark" strong coupling regime and demonstrate single photon non-linearity. These results may find important implications in the emerging field of room temperature quantum plasmonics.

Quantum Leap from Gold and Silver to Aluminum Nanoplasmonics for Enhanced Biomedical Applications

Nanotechnology has been used in many biosensing and medical applications, in the form of noble metal (gold and silver) nanoparticles and nanostructured substrates. However, the translational clinical and industrial applications still need improvements of the efficiency, selectivity, cost, toxicity, reproducibility, and morphological control at the nanoscale level. In this review, we highlight the recent progress that has been made in the replacement of expensive gold and silver metals with the less expensive aluminum. In addition to low cost, other advantages of the aluminum plasmonic nanostructures include a broad spectral range from deep UV to near IR, providing additional signal enhancement and treatment mechanisms. New synergistic treatments of bacterial infections, cancer, and coronaviruses are envisioned. Coupling with gain media and quantum optical effects improve the performance of the aluminum nanostructures beyond gold and silver.

Theoretical Methods for Ultrastrong Light–Matter Interactions

AbstractThis article reviews theoretical methods developed in the last decade to understand cavity quantum electrodynamics in the ultrastrong‐coupling regime, where the strength of the light–matter interaction becomes comparable to the photon frequency. Along with profound modifications of fundamental quantum optical effects giving rise to a rich phenomenology, this regime introduces significant theoretical challenges. One of the most important is the break‐down of the rotating‐wave approximation which neglects all non‐resonant terms in light–matter interaction Hamiltonians. Consequently, a large part of the quantum optical theoretical framework has to be revisited in order to accurately account for all interaction terms in this regime. In this article, a broad overview of the recent progress is given, ranging from analytical estimates of ground‐state properties to proper derivations of master equations and computation of photodetection signals. For each aspect of the theory, the basic principles of the methods are illustrated on paradigmatic models such as quantum Rabi and spin‐boson models. The validity of effective Hamiltonians for the different experimental platforms is discussed in the last part of the article, addressing recent debates on fundamental issues related to gauge invariance in the ultrastrong‐coupling regime.

Monitoring strong coupling in nonlocal plasmonics with electron spectroscopies

Plasmon-exciton polaritons provide exciting possibilities to control light-matter interactions at the nanoscale by enabling closer investigation of quantum optical effects and facilitating novel technologies based, for instance, on Bose-Einstein condensation and polaritonic lasing. Nevertheless, observing and visualising polaritons is challenging, and traditional optical microscopy techniques often lead to ambiguities regarding the emergence and strength of the plasmon-exciton coupling. Electron microscopy offers a more robust means to study and verify the nature of plexcitons, but is still hindered by instrument limitations and resolution. A simple theoretical description of electron beam-excited plexcitons is therefore vital to complement ongoing experimental efforts. Here we apply analytic solutions for the electron-loss and photon-emission probabilities to evaluate plasmon-exciton coupling studied either with the recently adopted technique of electron energy-loss spectroscopy, or with the so-far unexplored in this context cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Foreseeing the necessity to account for quantum corrections in the plasmonic response, we extend these solutions within the framework of general nonlocal hydrodynamic descriptions. As a specific example we study core-shell spherical emitter-molecule hybrids, going beyond the standard local-response approximation through the hydrodynamic Drude model for screening and the generalised nonlocal optical response theory for nonlocal damping. We show that electron microscopies are extremely powerful in describing the interaction of emitters with the otherwise weakly excited by optical means higher-order plasmonic multipoles, a response that survives when quantum-informed models are considered.

Circuit Analog of Quantum Interference in Atomic Multilevel Phase Coherence

A large number of novel semiclassical and quantum optical effects and phenomena (e.g., coherent population trapping, electromagnetically induced transparency, spontaneous emission inhibition and la...