The Promise of Quantum Nonlinear Optics

We introduce two methods for quantum process and detector tomography. In the quantum process tomography method, we develop an analytical procedure for projecting the linear inversion estimation of a quantum channel onto the set of completely positive trace-preserving matrices. By integrating this method with alternate projection techniques, we achieve a three-order-of-magnitude improvement in approximating the closest quantum channel to an arbitrary Hermitian matrix compared to existing methods without compromising computational efficiency. Our second method extends this approach to quantum detector tomography, demonstrating superior efficiency compared to current techniques. Through numerical simulations, we evaluate our protocols across channels of up to four qubits in quantum process tomography and systems of up to six qubits in quantum detector tomography, showcasing superior precision and efficiency.

Chemical functionalization-introduced sp3 quantum defects in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have shown compelling optical properties for their potential applications in quantum information science and bioimaging. Here, we utilize temperature- and power-dependent electron spin resonance measurements to study the fundamental spin properties of SWCNTs functionalized with well-controlled densities of sp3 quantum defects. Signatures of isolated spins that are highly localized at the sp3 defect sites are observed, which we further confirm with density functional theory calculations. Applying temperature-dependent line width analysis and power-saturation measurements, we estimate the spin-lattice relaxation time T1 and spin dephasing time T2 to be around 9 μs and 40 ns, respectively. These findings of the localized spin states that are associated with the sp3 quantum defects not only deepen our understanding of the molecular structures of the quantum defects but could also have strong implications for their applications in quantum information science.

The quantum walk is the quantum analog of the well-known random walk, which forms the basis for models and applications in many realms of science. Its properties are markedly different from the classical counterpart and might lead to extensive applications in quantum information science. In our experiment, we implemented a quantum walk on the line with single neutral atoms by deterministically delocalizing them over the sites of a one-dimensional spin-dependent optical lattice. With the use of site-resolved fluorescence imaging, the final wave function is characterized by local quantum state tomography, and its spatial coherence is demonstrated. Our system allows the observation of the quantum-to-classical transition and paves the way for applications, such as quantum cellular automata.

Relating to magnified image formation systems, we consider two processes in this work: quantum and classical incoherent imaging. There are similarities and differences between them. A similarity is that the optical transfer functions (OTFs) of both systems are obtained by calculating a correlation function. Concerning the differences, only two were found. The first difference is that, unlike classical incoherent imaging, quantum imaging with photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion is sensitive to the phase in the function which describes the object. The second difference is that the OTF of the quantum imaging system is a cross-correlation function of the OTFs of the signal and idler arms, while the OTF of the classical incoherent imaging system is an autocorrelation of the only pupil function existing in this case. We explore experimentally the second difference. We report the observation of a highly resolved image produced by a quantum light source in a setup where an incoherent light source is unable to spatially resolve the image of the object. The spatial resolution of the image is studied in a situation where the size of the object is magnified at the image.

Multiexciton quintet states, 5(TT), photogenerated in organic semiconductors using singlet fission (SF), consist of four quantum entangled spins, promising to enable new applications in quantum information science. However, the factors that determine the spin coherence of these states remain underexplored. Here, we engineer the packing of tetracene molecules within single crystals of 5,12-bis(tricyclohexylsilylethynyl)tetracene (TCHS-tetracene) to demonstrate a 5(TT) state that exhibits promising spin qubit properties, including a coherence time, T2, = 3 μs at 10 K, a population lifetime, Tpop, = 130 μs at 5 K, and stability even at room temperature. The single-crystal platform also enables global alignment of the spins and, consequently, individual addressability of the spin-sublevel transitions. Decoherence mechanisms, including exciton diffusion, electronic dipolar coupling, and nuclear hyperfine interactions, are elucidated, providing design principles for increasing T2 and the operational temperature of 5(TT). By dynamically decoupling 5(TT) from the surrounding spin bath, T2 = 10 μs is achieved. These results demonstrate the viability of harnessing singlet fission to initiate multiple electron spins in a well-defined quantum state for next-generation molecular-based quantum technologies.

We present a stable entangled light source that integrates the pump laser, entanglement generator, detectors, and electronic control systems. By optimizing the design of the mechanical elements and the optical path, the size of the source is minimized, and the quantum correlations over 6 dB can be directly provided by the entangled source. The compact and stable entangled light source is suitable for practical applications in quantum information science and technology. The presented protocol provides a useful reference for manufacturing products of bright entangled light sources.

It has long been known that light can be slowed and stopped in an atomic medium using electromagnetically induced transparency. Researchers have now shown how an optical resonator can help a single photon induce its own transparency, which could have exciting applications in quantum information science.

Modern research in optical physics has achieved quantum control of strong interactions between a single atom and one photon within the setting of cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED). However, to move beyond current proof-of-principle experiments involving one or two conventional optical cavities to more complex scalable systems that employ N >> 1 microscopic resonators requires the localization of individual atoms on distance scales < 100 nm from a resonator's surface. In this regime an atom can be strongly coupled to a single intracavity photon while at the same time experiencing significant radiative interactions with the dielectric boundaries of the resonator. Here, we report an initial step into this new regime of cQED by way of real-time detection and high-bandwidth feedback to select and monitor single Cesium atoms localized ~100 nm from the surface of a micro-toroidal optical resonator. We employ strong radiative interactions of atom and cavity field to probe atomic motion through the evanescent field of the resonator. Direct temporal and spectral measurements reveal both the significant role of Casimir-Polder attraction and the manifestly quantum nature of the atom-cavity dynamics. Our work sets the stage for trapping atoms near micro- and nano-scopic optical resonators for applications in quantum information science, including the creation of scalable quantum networks composed of many atom-cavity systems that coherently interact via coherent exchanges of single photons.

Quantum correlated states of light, such as squeezed states, are a fundamental resource for the development of quantum technologies, as they are needed for applications in quantum metrology, quantum computation, and quantum communications. It is thus critical to develop compact, efficient, and robust sources to generate such states. Here, we report on a compact, narrowband, fiber-coupled source of two-mode squeezed states of light at 795 nm based on four-wave mixing (FWM) in an 85Rb atomic vapor. The source is designed in a small modular form factor, with two input fiber-coupled beams, the seed and pump beams required for the FWM, and two output fibers, one for each of the modes of the squeezed state. The system is optimized for low pump power (135 mW) to achieve a maximum intensity-difference squeezing of 4.4 dB after the output of fibers at an analysis frequency of 1 MHz. The narrowband nature of the source makes it ideal for atomic-based quantum sensing and quantum networking configurations that rely on atomic quantum memories. Such a source paves the way for a versatile and portable platform for applications in quantum information science.

Solid-state quantum emitters, such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), have numerous significant applications in quantum information science. While there has been some success in controlling structured light from kinds of single-photon sources, the simultaneous on-demand, high-quality, and integrated generation of single-photon sources with various degrees of freedom remains a challenge. Here, we utilize composite phase-based metasurfaces, comprising transmission phase and geometric phase elements, to modulate the semiconductor QD emission through a simplified fabrication process. This approach enables to decouple the emission into left and right circularly polarized (LCP/RCP) beams in arbitrary directions (e.g., with zenith angles of 10° and 30°), producing collimated beams with divergence angles less than 6.0° and carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes with different topological charges. Furthermore, we examine the polarization relationship between the output beams and QD emission to validate the performance of our designed devices. Additionally, we achieve eight channels of single-photon emissions, each with well-defined states of spin angular momentum (SAM), OAM, and specific emission directions. Our work not only demonstrates an effective integrated quantum device for the on-demand manipulation of precise direction, collimation, SAM, and various OAM modes, but also significantly advances research efforts in the quantum field related to the generation of multi-OAM single photons.

Gaussian steering in continuousvariable (CV) systems, as a quantum correlation between nonlocality and entanglement, is an important quantum resource. Rapid detection of Gaussian steering is a significant challenge in quantum information process. In this paper, we employ a combination of machine learning methods, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN) and Meta-Weight-Net Neural Network (MWN) to speed up the detection. An ensemble learning approach that integrates these methods is also utilized to increase the accuracy of detection. A computable Gaussian steering quantification introduced recently in [Phys. Rev. A 110, 052427] serves as a pivotal tool for labeling the samples. A key observation is that steerable Gaussian states are vastly outnumbered by unsteerable ones, particularly in configurations where the untrusted party possesses significantly more modes than the trusted party. This leads to a highly skewed distribution of sample states in the dataset. In response to this phenomenon and to make comparison, we propose the imbalance factor and prepare three types of datasets to be trained: balanced datasets, naturally generated datasets and augmented datasets with via a data augmentation strategy. Numerical experiments for seven low modes scenarios reveal that the classifiers obtained by utilizing the ensemble learning method training on augmented dataset have the best overall performance, significantly improving generalization capabilities with low cost and high test accuracy, achieving detection times as fast as seconds, at least 100 times faster than calculating . The speed advantage of machine learning detection will be more obvious in the case of higher modes. Thus the approach is both efficient and reliable, offering valuable insights into the broader potential of machine learning applications in quantum information science and providing a robust framework for machine learning utilized to classification tasks, especially in data-imbalanced scenarios.

Single photon sources are required for a wide range of applications in quantum information science, quantum cryptography, and quantum communications. However, the majority of room temperature emitters to date are only excited optically, which limits their proper integration into scalable devices. In this work, we overcome this limitation and present room temperature electrically driven light emission from localized defects in zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and thin films. The devices emit in the red spectral range and show excellent rectifying behavior. The emission is stable over an extensive period of time, providing an important prerequisite for practical devices. Our results open possibilities for building new ZnO-based quantum integrated devices that incorporate solid-state single photon sources for quantum information technologies.

Few studies explored the dynamics of nonclassical correlations besides entanglement in open multipartite quantum systems. Here, we address the time evolution of quantum discord and entanglement in a model of three noninteracting qubits subject to a classical random telegraph noise in common and separated environments. Two initial entangled states of the system are examined, namely the GHZ- and W-type states. The dynamics of quantum correlations results to be strongly affected by the input configuration of the qubits, the type of the system-environment interaction, and the memory properties of the environmental noise. When the qubits are nonlocally coupled to the random telegraph noise, the GHZ-type states partially preserve, at long times, both discord and entanglement, regardless of the correlation time of the environmental noise. The survived entangled states turn out to be also detectable by means of suitable entanglement witnesses. On the other hand, in the same conditions, the decohering effects suppress all the quantum correlation of the W-type states which are thus less robust than the GHZ-type ones. The long-time survival of tripartite discord and entanglement opens interesting perspectives in the use of multipartite entangled states for practical applications in quantum information science.

Low-temperature optical photon detectors for quantum information applications

An exciting frontier in the research field of atomic physics is the active engineering of the atomic environment, motivated by the prospect of applications in quantum information science, many-body physics simulation, atom-based metrology and sensor technology. To this end, one active direction in the atomic community is the manipulation of atoms at nanoscale distance from surface plasmons, utilizing the strong confinement of electric field of the surface plasmon to realize atom-trapping, single photon emitter source and strongly coupled system. Towards these goals, we experimentally investigated the coupling of hot atomic Cesium vapor with plasmonic metamaterials. First, we demonstrate tailoring of metamaterial for the tuning of atom-surface Casimir Polder interaction. Next, we realize atom-metamaterial interaction on a fiberized platform. In the atomic spectroscopy realm, we devise a method to study low-lying dipole-forbidden electric quadrupole transition with a non-linear pump-probe technique. Finally, we investigate the possible enhancement of an electric quadrupole transition in the vicinity of a plasmonic metamaterial. Overall, these advances are significant contributions towards achieving subwavelength trapping of atoms at close distance from surface, integrating of fiberized atomic systems for mainstream applications, enabling the studies of the transfer of orbital angular momentum of light to dipole-forbidden transitions and setting forth the investigation direction for dipole-forbidden transitions in an atom-plasmonic system.