Two-photon interference between disparate sources for quantum networking

PubMed Central

McMillan, A. R.; Labonté, L.; Clark, A. S.; Bell, B.; Alibart, O.; Martin, A.; Wadsworth, W. J.; Tanzilli, S.; Rarity, J. G.

2013-01-01

Quantum networks involve entanglement sharing between multiple users. Ideally, any two users would be able to connect regardless of the type of photon source they employ, provided they fulfill the requirements for two-photon interference. From a theoretical perspective, photons coming from different origins can interfere with a perfect visibility, provided they are made indistinguishable in all degrees of freedom. Previous experimental demonstrations of such a scenario have been limited to photon wavelengths below 900 nm, unsuitable for long distance communication, and suffered from low interference visibility. We report two-photon interference using two disparate heralded single photon sources, which involve different nonlinear effects, operating in the telecom wavelength range. The measured visibility of the two-photon interference is 80 ± 4%, which paves the way to hybrid universal quantum networks. PMID:23783585

Packaging consideration of two-dimensional polymer-based photonic crystals for laser beam steering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Xinyuan; Chen, Xiaonan; Chen, Maggie Yihong; Wang, Alan Xiaolong; Jiang, Wei; Chen, Ray T.

2009-02-01

In this paper, we report the theoretical study of polymer-based photonic crystals for laser beam steering which is based on the superprism effect as well as the experiment fabrication of the two dimensional photonic crystals for the laser beam steering. Superprism effect, the principle for beam steering, was separately studied in details through EFC (Equifrequency Contour) analysis. Polymer based photonic crystals were fabricated through double exposure holographic interference method using SU8-2007. The experiment results were also reported.

Interference of Photons from a Weak Laser and a Quantum Dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritchie, David; Bennett, Anthony; Patel, Raj; Nicoll, Christine; Shields, Andrew

2010-03-01

We demonstrate two-photon interference from two unsynchronized sources operating via different physical processes [1]. One source is spontaneous emission from the X^- state of an electrically-driven InAs/GaAs single quantum dot with μeV linewidth, the other stimulated emission from a laser with a neV linewidth. We mix the emission from these sources on a balanced non-polarising beam splitter and measure correlations in the photons that exit using Si-avalanche photodiodes and a time-correlated counting card. By periodically switching the polarisation state of the weak laser we simultaneously measure the correlation for parallel and orthogonally polarised sources, corresponding to maximum and minimum degrees of interference. When the two sources have the same intensity, a reduction in the correlation function at time zero for the case of parallel photon sources clearly indicates this interference effect. To quantify the degree of interference, we develop a theory that predicts the correlation function. Data and experiment are then compared for a range of intensity ratios. Based on this analysis we infer a wave-function overlap of 91%, which is remarkable given the fundamental differences between the two sources. [1] Bennett A. J et al Nature Physics, 5, 715--717 (2009).

Investigating and Improving Student Understanding of Quantum Mechanics in the Context of Single Photon Interference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-01-01

Single photon experiments involving a Mach-Zehnder interferometer can illustrate the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, e.g., the wave-particle duality of a single photon, single photon interference, and the probabilistic nature of quantum measurement involving single photons. These experiments explicitly make the connection between the…

Study of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen state for space-time variables in a two photon interference experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Y. H.; Sergienko, A. V.; Rubin, M. H.

1993-01-01

A pair of correlated photons generated from parametric down conversion was sent to two independent Michelson interferometers. Second order interference was studied by means of a coincidence measurement between the outputs of two interferometers. The reported experiment and analysis studied this second order interference phenomena from the point of view of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox. The experiment was done in two steps. The first step of the experiment used 50 psec and 3 nsec coincidence time windows simultaneously. The 50 psec window was able to distinguish a 1.5 cm optical path difference in the interferometers. The interference visibility was measured to be 38 percent and 21 percent for the 50 psec time window and 22 percent and 7 percent for the 3 nsec time window, when the optical path difference of the interferometers were 2 cm and 4 cm, respectively. By comparing the visibilities between these two windows, the experiment showed the non-classical effect which resulted from an E.P.R. state. The second step of the experiment used a 20 psec coincidence time window, which was able to distinguish a 6 mm optical path difference in the interferometers. The interference visibilities were measured to be 59 percent for an optical path difference of 7 mm. This is the first observation of visibility greater than 50 percent for a two interferometer E.P.R. experiment which demonstrates nonclassical correlation of space-time variables.

Observation of two-photon interference with continuous variables by homodyne detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Daohua; Kawamoto, Kota; Guo, Xiaomin; Kasai, Katsuyuki; Watanabe, Masayoshi; Zhang, Yun

2017-10-01

We experimentally observed a two-photon interference between a squeezed vacuum state from an optical parametric amplifier and a weak coherent state on a beam splitter with continuous variables. The photon statistics properties of the mixed field were investigated by calculating the correlations among four permutations of measured quadratures components, which were obtained by two homodyne detection systems. This also means that the two-photon interference occurred at analysis frequency differing from the previous two-photon interference reports. The nonclassical effect of photon anti-bunching occurred when an amplitude squeezed vacuum state acted as one of interference sources. On the other hand, the photon bunching effect appeared when a phase squeezed vacuum state was employed.

Wave-particle dualism and complementarity unraveled by a different mode

PubMed Central

Menzel, Ralf; Puhlmann, Dirk; Heuer, Axel; Schleich, Wolfgang P.

2012-01-01

The precise knowledge of one of two complementary experimental outcomes prevents us from obtaining complete information about the other one. This formulation of Niels Bohr’s principle of complementarity when applied to the paradigm of wave-particle dualism—that is, to Young’s double-slit experiment—implies that the information about the slit through which a quantum particle has passed erases interference. In the present paper we report a double-slit experiment using two photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion where we observe interference in the signal photon despite the fact that we have located it in one of the slits due to its entanglement with the idler photon. This surprising aspect of complementarity comes to light by our special choice of the TEM01 pump mode. According to quantum field theory the signal photon is then in a coherent superposition of two distinct wave vectors giving rise to interference fringes analogous to two mechanical slits. PMID:22628561

Ultra-compact laser beam steering device using holographically formed two dimensional photonic crystal.

PubMed

Dou, Xinyuan; Chen, Xiaonan; Chen, Maggie Yihong; Wang, Alan Xiaolong; Jiang, Wei; Chen, Ray T

2010-03-01

In this paper, we report the theoretical study of polymer-based photonic crystals for laser beam steering which is based on the superprism effect as well as the experiment fabrication of the two dimensional photonic crystals for the laser beam steering. Superprism effect, the principle for beam steering, was separately studied in details through EFC (Equifrequency Contour) analysis. Polymer based photonic crystals were fabricated through double exposure holographic interference method using SU8-2007. The experiment results showed a beam steering angle of 10 degree for 30 nm wavelength variation.

Generalized quantum interference of correlated photon pairs.

PubMed

Kim, Heonoh; Lee, Sang Min; Moon, Han Seb

2015-05-07

Superposition and indistinguishablility between probability amplitudes have played an essential role in observing quantum interference effects of correlated photons. The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference and interferences of the path-entangled photon number state are of special interest in the field of quantum information technologies. However, a fully generalized two-photon quantum interferometric scheme accounting for the Hong-Ou-Mandel scheme and path-entangled photon number states has not yet been proposed. Here we report the experimental demonstrations of the generalized two-photon interferometry with both the interferometric properties of the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect and the fully unfolded version of the path-entangled photon number state using photon-pair sources, which are independently generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Our experimental scheme explains two-photon interference fringes revealing single- and two-photon coherence properties in a single interferometer setup. Using the proposed interferometric measurement, it is possible to directly estimate the joint spectral intensity of a photon pair source.

Quantum imaging with undetected photons.

PubMed

Lemos, Gabriela Barreto; Borish, Victoria; Cole, Garrett D; Ramelow, Sven; Lapkiewicz, Radek; Zeilinger, Anton

2014-08-28

Information is central to quantum mechanics. In particular, quantum interference occurs only if there exists no information to distinguish between the superposed states. The mere possibility of obtaining information that could distinguish between overlapping states inhibits quantum interference. Here we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a quantum imaging concept based on induced coherence without induced emission. Our experiment uses two separate down-conversion nonlinear crystals (numbered NL1 and NL2), each illuminated by the same pump laser, creating one pair of photons (denoted idler and signal). If the photon pair is created in NL1, one photon (the idler) passes through the object to be imaged and is overlapped with the idler amplitude created in NL2, its source thus being undefined. Interference of the signal amplitudes coming from the two crystals then reveals the image of the object. The photons that pass through the imaged object (idler photons from NL1) are never detected, while we obtain images exclusively with the signal photons (from NL1 and NL2), which do not interact with the object. Our experiment is fundamentally different from previous quantum imaging techniques, such as interaction-free imaging or ghost imaging, because now the photons used to illuminate the object do not have to be detected at all and no coincidence detection is necessary. This enables the probe wavelength to be chosen in a range for which suitable detectors are not available. To illustrate this, we show images of objects that are either opaque or invisible to the detected photons. Our experiment is a prototype in quantum information--knowledge can be extracted by, and about, a photon that is never detected.

Generalized quantum interference of correlated photon pairs

PubMed Central

Kim, Heonoh; Lee, Sang Min; Moon, Han Seb

2015-01-01

Superposition and indistinguishablility between probability amplitudes have played an essential role in observing quantum interference effects of correlated photons. The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference and interferences of the path-entangled photon number state are of special interest in the field of quantum information technologies. However, a fully generalized two-photon quantum interferometric scheme accounting for the Hong-Ou-Mandel scheme and path-entangled photon number states has not yet been proposed. Here we report the experimental demonstrations of the generalized two-photon interferometry with both the interferometric properties of the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect and the fully unfolded version of the path-entangled photon number state using photon-pair sources, which are independently generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Our experimental scheme explains two-photon interference fringes revealing single- and two-photon coherence properties in a single interferometer setup. Using the proposed interferometric measurement, it is possible to directly estimate the joint spectral intensity of a photon pair source. PMID:25951143

Optical vortex knots – one photon at a time

PubMed Central

Tempone-Wiltshire, Sebastien J.; Johnstone, Shaun P.; Helmerson, Kristian

2016-01-01

Feynman described the double slit experiment as “a phenomenon which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics”. The double-slit experiment, performed one photon at a time, dramatically demonstrates the particle-wave duality of quantum objects by generating a fringe pattern corresponding to the interference of light (a wave phenomenon) from two slits, even when there is only one photon (a particle) at a time passing through the apparatus. The particle-wave duality of light should also apply to complex three dimensional optical fields formed by multi-path interference, however, this has not been demonstrated. Here we observe particle-wave duality of a three dimensional field by generating a trefoil optical vortex knot – one photon at a time. This result demonstrates a fundamental physical principle, that particle-wave duality implies interference in both space (between spatially distinct modes) and time (through the complex evolution of the superposition of modes), and has implications for topologically entangled single photon states, orbital angular momentum multiplexing and topological quantum computing. PMID:27087642

Preselected Sub-Poissonian Correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavicic, Mladen

1996-01-01

The simplest possible photon-number-squeezed states containing only two photons and exhibiting sub-poissonian statistics with the Fano factor approaching 0.5 have been used for a proposal of a loophole-free Bell experiment requiring only 67 percent of detection efficiency. The states are obtained by the fourth order interference first of two downconverted photons at an asymmetrical beam splitter and thereupon of two photons from two independent singlets at an asymmetrical beam splitter. In the latter set-up, the other two photons which nowhere interacted and whose paths never crossed appear entangled in a singlet-like correlated state.

Time-resolved double-slit interference pattern measurement with entangled photons

PubMed Central

Kolenderski, Piotr; Scarcella, Carmelo; Johnsen, Kelsey D.; Hamel, Deny R.; Holloway, Catherine; Shalm, Lynden K.; Tisa, Simone; Tosi, Alberto; Resch, Kevin J.; Jennewein, Thomas

2014-01-01

The double-slit experiment strikingly demonstrates the wave-particle duality of quantum objects. In this famous experiment, particles pass one-by-one through a pair of slits and are detected on a distant screen. A distinct wave-like pattern emerges after many discrete particle impacts as if each particle is passing through both slits and interfering with itself. Here we present a temporally- and spatially-resolved measurement of the double-slit interference pattern using single photons. We send single photons through a birefringent double-slit apparatus and use a linear array of single-photon detectors to observe the developing interference pattern. The analysis of the buildup allows us to compare quantum mechanics and the corpuscular model, which aims to explain the mystery of single-particle interference. Finally, we send one photon from an entangled pair through our double-slit setup and show the dependence of the resulting interference pattern on the twin photon's measured state. Our results provide new insight into the dynamics of the buildup process in the double-slit experiment, and can be used as a valuable resource in quantum information applications. PMID:24770360

Two-photon quantum walk in a multimode fiber

PubMed Central

Defienne, Hugo; Barbieri, Marco; Walmsley, Ian A.; Smith, Brian J.; Gigan, Sylvain

2016-01-01

Multiphoton propagation in connected structures—a quantum walk—offers the potential of simulating complex physical systems and provides a route to universal quantum computation. Increasing the complexity of quantum photonic networks where the walk occurs is essential for many applications. We implement a quantum walk of indistinguishable photon pairs in a multimode fiber supporting 380 modes. Using wavefront shaping, we control the propagation of the two-photon state through the fiber in which all modes are coupled. Excitation of arbitrary output modes of the system is realized by controlling classical and quantum interferences. This report demonstrates a highly multimode platform for multiphoton interference experiments and provides a powerful method to program a general high-dimensional multiport optical circuit. This work paves the way for the next generation of photonic devices for quantum simulation, computing, and communication. PMID:27152325

Hong-Ou-Mandel Interference with a Single Atom.

PubMed

Ralley, K A; Lerner, I V; Yurkevich, I V

2015-09-14

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect is widely regarded as the quintessential quantum interference phenomenon in optics. In this work we examine how nonlinearity can smear statistical photon bunching in the HOM interferometer. We model both the nonlinearity and a balanced beam splitter with a single two-level system and calculate a finite probability of anti-bunching arising in this geometry. We thus argue that the presence of such nonlinearity would reduce the visibility in the standard HOM setup, offering some explanation for the diminution of the HOM visibility observed in many experiments. We use the same model to show that the nonlinearity affects a resonant two-photon propagation through a two-level impurity in a waveguide due to a "weak photon blockade" caused by the impossibility of double-occupancy and argue that this effect might be stronger for multi-photon propagation.

Two-photon interference of weak coherent laser pulses recalled from separate solid-state quantum memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Jeongwan; Slater, Joshua A.; Saglamyurek, Erhan; Sinclair, Neil; George, Mathew; Ricken, Raimund; Oblak, Daniel; Sohler, Wolfgang; Tittel, Wolfgang

2013-08-01

Quantum memories allowing reversible transfer of quantum states between light and matter are central to quantum repeaters, quantum networks and linear optics quantum computing. Significant progress regarding the faithful transfer of quantum information has been reported in recent years. However, none of these demonstrations confirm that the re-emitted photons remain suitable for two-photon interference measurements, such as C-NOT gates and Bell-state measurements, which constitute another key ingredient for all aforementioned applications. Here, using pairs of laser pulses at the single-photon level, we demonstrate two-photon interference and Bell-state measurements after either none, one or both pulses have been reversibly mapped to separate thulium-doped lithium niobate waveguides. As the interference is always near the theoretical maximum, we conclude that our solid-state quantum memories, in addition to faithfully mapping quantum information, also preserve the entire photonic wavefunction. Hence, our memories are generally suitable for future applications of quantum information processing that require two-photon interference.

Two-photon interference of weak coherent laser pulses recalled from separate solid-state quantum memories.

PubMed

Jin, Jeongwan; Slater, Joshua A; Saglamyurek, Erhan; Sinclair, Neil; George, Mathew; Ricken, Raimund; Oblak, Daniel; Sohler, Wolfgang; Tittel, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

Quantum memories allowing reversible transfer of quantum states between light and matter are central to quantum repeaters, quantum networks and linear optics quantum computing. Significant progress regarding the faithful transfer of quantum information has been reported in recent years. However, none of these demonstrations confirm that the re-emitted photons remain suitable for two-photon interference measurements, such as C-NOT gates and Bell-state measurements, which constitute another key ingredient for all aforementioned applications. Here, using pairs of laser pulses at the single-photon level, we demonstrate two-photon interference and Bell-state measurements after either none, one or both pulses have been reversibly mapped to separate thulium-doped lithium niobate waveguides. As the interference is always near the theoretical maximum, we conclude that our solid-state quantum memories, in addition to faithfully mapping quantum information, also preserve the entire photonic wavefunction. Hence, our memories are generally suitable for future applications of quantum information processing that require two-photon interference.

CW-pumped telecom band polarization entangled photon pair generation in a Sagnac interferometer.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Zhou, Zhi-Yuan; Ding, Dong-Sheng; Shi, Bao-Sen

2015-11-02

Polarization entangled photon pair source is widely used in many quantum information processing applications such as teleportation, quantum communications, quantum computation and high precision quantum metrology. We report on the generation of a continuous-wave pumped 1550 nm polarization entangled photon pair source at telecom wavelength using a type-II periodically poled KTiOPO(4) (PPKTP) crystal in a Sagnac interferometer. Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference measurement yields signal and idler photon bandwidth of 2.4 nm. High quality of entanglement is verified by various kinds of measurements, for example two-photon interference fringes, Bell inequality and quantum states tomography. The source can be tuned over a broad range against temperature or pump power without loss of visibilities. This source will be used in our future experiments such as generation of orbital angular momentum entangled source at telecom wavelength for quantum frequency up-conversion, entanglement based quantum key distributions and many other quantum optics experiments at telecom wavelengths.

Spying on photons with photons: quantum interference and information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ataman, Stefan

2016-07-01

The quest to have both which-path knowledge and interference fringes in a double-slit experiment dates back to the inception of quantum mechanics (QM) and to the famous Einstein-Bohr debates. In this paper we propose and discuss an experiment able to spy on one photon's path with another photon. We modify the quantum state inside the interferometer as opposed to the traditional physical modification of the "wave-like" or "particle-like" experimental setup. We are able to show that it is the ability to harvest or not which-path information that finally limits the visibility of the interference pattern and not the "wave-like" or "particle-like" experimental setups. Remarkably, a full "particle-like" experimental setup is able to show interference fringes with 100% visibility if the quantum state is carefully engineered.

Thermooptic two-mode interference device for reconfigurable quantum optic circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahu, Partha Pratim

2018-06-01

Reconfigurable large-scale integrated quantum optic circuits require compact component having capability of accurate manipulation of quantum entanglement for quantum communication and information processing applications. Here, a thermooptic two-mode interference coupler has been introduced as a compact component for generation of reconfigurable complex multi-photons quantum interference. Both theoretical and experimental approaches are used for the demonstration of two-photon and four-photon quantum entanglement manipulated with thermooptic phase change in TMI region. Our results demonstrate complex multi-photon quantum interference with high fabrication tolerance and quantum fidelity in smaller dimension than previous thermooptic Mach-Zehnder implementations.

Temporal interference with frequency-controllable long photons from independent cold atomic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Peng; Gu, Zhenjie; Wen, Rong; Zhang, Weiping; Chen, J. F.

2018-01-01

The interference of single photons from independent sources is an essential tool in quantum information processing. However, the interfering of photons with long temporal states in a time-resolved manner has rarely been studied. This is because without transmitting spectral filters or coupling to a cavity mode single photons generated in traditional nonlinear crystals suffer from a short temporal profile below 1 ns. With spectral correlation maintained in the biphotons generated from spontaneous four-wave mixing process in cold atom clouds, here we demonstrate the temporal interference of two frequency-tunable long photons from two independent cold atomic sources. We observe and analyze the interference of frequency-mismatched photons, where the phenomenon of the quantum beat at megahertz separation is displayed. Our paper provides more details for the quantum beat of two independent narrow-band single photons, which may find potential application in frequency-encoded photonic qubits in quantum information processing.

Transverse correlations in triphoton entanglement: Geometrical and physical optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jianming; Xu, P.; Rubin, Morton H.; Shih, Yanhua

2007-08-01

The transverse correlation of triphoton entanglement generated within a single crystal is analyzed. Among many interesting features of the transverse correlation, they arise from the spectral function F of the triphoton state produced in the parametric processes. One consequence of transverse effects of entangled states is quantum imaging, which is theoretically studied in photon counting measurements. Klyshko’s two-photon advanced-wave picture is found to be applicable to the multiphoton entanglement with some modifications. We found that in the two-photon coincidence counting measurement by using triphoton entanglement, although the Gaussian thin lens equation (GTLE) holds, the imaging shown in coincidences is obscure and has a poor quality. This is because of tracing the remaining transverse modes in the untouched beam. In the triphoton imaging experiments, two kinds of cases have been examined. For the case that only one object with one thin lens is placed in the system, we found that the GTLE holds as expected in the triphoton coincidences and the effective distance between the lens and imaging plane is the parallel combination of two distances between the lens and two detectors weighted by wavelengths, which behaves as the parallel combination of resistors in the electromagnetism theory. Only in this case, a point-point correspondence for forming an image is well-accomplished. However, when two objects or two lenses are inserted in the system, though the GTLEs are well-satisfied, in general a point-point correspondence for imaging cannot be established. Under certain conditions, two blurred images may be observed in the coincidence counts. We have also studied the ghost interference-diffraction experiments by using double slits as apertures in triphoton entanglement. It was found that when two double slits are used in two optical beams, the interference-diffraction patterns show unusual features compared with the two-photon case. This unusual behavior is a destructive interference between two amplitudes for two photons crossing two double slits.

Spectral correlation and interference in non-degenerate photon pairs at telecom wavelengths.

PubMed

Kuo, Paulina S; Gerrits, Thomas; Verma, Varun B; Nam, Sae Woo

2016-11-01

We characterize an entangled-photon-pair source that produces signal and idler photons at 1533 nm and 1567 nm using fiber-assisted signal-photon spectroscopy. By erasing the polarization distinguishability, we observe interference between the two down-conversion paths. The observed interference signature is closely related to the spectral correlations between photons in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer. These measurements suggest good indistinguishability between the two down-conversion paths, which is required for high entanglement visibility.

Non-classical photon correlation in a two-dimensional photonic lattice.

PubMed

Gao, Jun; Qiao, Lu-Feng; Lin, Xiao-Feng; Jiao, Zhi-Qiang; Feng, Zhen; Zhou, Zheng; Gao, Zhen-Wei; Xu, Xiao-Yun; Chen, Yuan; Tang, Hao; Jin, Xian-Min

2016-06-13

Quantum interference and quantum correlation, as two main features of quantum optics, play an essential role in quantum information applications, such as multi-particle quantum walk and boson sampling. While many experimental demonstrations have been done in one-dimensional waveguide arrays, it remains unexplored in higher dimensions due to tight requirement of manipulating and detecting photons in large-scale. Here, we experimentally observe non-classical correlation of two identical photons in a fully coupled two-dimensional structure, i.e. photonic lattice manufactured by three-dimensional femtosecond laser writing. Photon interference consists of 36 Hong-Ou-Mandel interference and 9 bunching. The overlap between measured and simulated distribution is up to 0.890 ± 0.001. Clear photon correlation is observed in the two-dimensional photonic lattice. Combining with controllably engineered disorder, our results open new perspectives towards large-scale implementation of quantum simulation on integrated photonic chips.

Phonon-Assisted Two-Photon Interference from Remote Quantum Emitters.

PubMed

Reindl, Marcus; Jöns, Klaus D; Huber, Daniel; Schimpf, Christian; Huo, Yongheng; Zwiller, Val; Rastelli, Armando; Trotta, Rinaldo

2017-07-12

Photonic quantum technologies are on the verge of finding applications in everyday life with quantum cryptography and quantum simulators on the horizon. Extensive research has been carried out to identify suitable quantum emitters and single epitaxial quantum dots have emerged as near-optimal sources of bright, on-demand, highly indistinguishable single photons and entangled photon-pairs. In order to build up quantum networks, it is essential to interface remote quantum emitters. However, this is still an outstanding challenge, as the quantum states of dissimilar "artificial atoms" have to be prepared on-demand with high fidelity and the generated photons have to be made indistinguishable in all possible degrees of freedom. Here, we overcome this major obstacle and show an unprecedented two-photon interference (visibility of 51 ± 5%) from remote strain-tunable GaAs quantum dots emitting on-demand photon-pairs. We achieve this result by exploiting for the first time the full potential of a novel phonon-assisted two-photon excitation scheme, which allows for the generation of highly indistinguishable (visibility of 71 ± 9%) entangled photon-pairs (fidelity of 90 ± 2%), enables push-button biexciton state preparation (fidelity of 80 ± 2%) and outperforms conventional resonant two-photon excitation schemes in terms of robustness against environmental decoherence. Our results mark an important milestone for the practical realization of quantum repeaters and complex multiphoton entanglement experiments involving dissimilar artificial atoms.

Overcoming correlation fluctuations in two-photon interference experiments with differently bright and independently blinking remote quantum emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Jonas H.; Kettler, Jan; Vural, Hüseyin; Müller, Markus; Maisch, Julian; Jetter, Michael; Portalupi, Simone L.; Michler, Peter

2018-05-01

As a fundamental building block for quantum computation and communication protocols, the correct verification of the two-photon interference (TPI) contrast between two independent quantum light sources is of utmost importance. Here, we experimentally demonstrate how frequently present blinking dynamics and changes in emitter brightness critically affect the Hong-Ou-Mandel-type (HOM) correlation histograms of remote TPI experiments measured via the commonly utilized setup configuration. We further exploit this qualitative and quantitative explanation of the observed correlation dynamics to establish an alternative interferometer configuration, which is overcoming the discussed temporal fluctuations, giving rise to an error-free determination of the remote TPI visibility. We prove full knowledge of the obtained correlation by reproducing the measured correlation statistics via Monte Carlo simulations. As an exemplary system, we make use of two pairs of remote semiconductor quantum dots; however, the same conclusions apply for TPI experiments with flying qubits from any kind of remote solid-state quantum emitters.

Multibeam Interferometer Using a Photonic Crystal Fiber with Two Asymmetric Cores for Torsion, Strain and Temperature Sensing

PubMed Central

Naeem, Khurram; Kwon, Il-Bum; Chung, Youngjoo

2017-01-01

We present a fiber-optic multibeam Mach-Zehnder interferometer (m-MZI) for simultaneous multi-parameter measurement. The m-MZI is comprised of a section of photonic crystal fiber integrated with two independent cores of distinct construction and birefringence properties characterized for torsion, strain and temperature sensing. Due to the presence of small core geometry and use of a short fiber length, the sensing device demonstrates inter-modal interference in the small core alongside the dominant inter-core interference between the cores for each of the orthogonal polarizations. The output spectrum of the device is characterized by the three-beam interference model and is polarization-dependent. The two types of interferometers present in the fiber m-MZI exhibit distinct sensitivities to torsion, strain and temperature for different polarizations, and matrix coefficients allowing simultaneous measurement of the three sensing parameters are proposed in experiment. PMID:28085046

Single-photon interference experiment for high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondani, Maria

2014-07-01

We follow the reductio ad absurdum reasoning described in the book "Sneaking a Look at God's Cards" by Giancarlo Ghirardi to demonstrate the wave-particle duality of light in a Mach-Zehnder interferometric setup analog to the conventional Young double-slit experiment. We aim at showing the double nature of light by measuring the existence of interference fringes down to the single-photon level. The setup includes a strongly attenuated laser, polarizing beam splitters, half-waveplates, polarizers and single-photon detectors.

Biphoton optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strekalov, Dmitry Vladimirovich

1997-10-01

The subject of this dissertation is the study of the two- photon entanglement. This phenomenon has been paid a great deal of attention since 1935, when A. Einstein, B. Podolsky and N. Rosen asked their famous question, 'Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete?' An entangled system behavior is inconsistent with many classical concepts. Therefore, the understanding of two-photon entanglement is important for the foundations of quantum theory. A two-photon entangled sate represents a two-photon, or a biphoton, rather than two photons. The concept of biphoton as a single nonlocal quantum object is fundamentally different from the concept of a photon pair, as has been experimentally demonstrated in the present dissertation. Two-photon entanglement gives rise to unusual 'ghost' interference and diffraction, nonlocal geometrical phase, and other quantum phenomena originally studied in the present dissertation. The variety of available results calls for bringing them into a general system which we call Biphoton Optics. This is the main goal of this dissertation. Biphoton optics operate with two-photon wave packets, or with an equivalent concept of advanced wave. We show that in the framework of the advanced wave concept two-photon phenomena can be effectively described in terms of classical optics. Therefore the biphoton optics has the same structure as the classical optics. It includes two- photon geometrical optics, dispersion and frequency beating, polarization effects, interference, diffraction, and geometrical phase. All these two-photon effects are represented by experiments included in this dissertation. Our approach does not make two-photon quantum effects 'classical', however. It should be understood that the advanced wave model operates with counter-propagation in time which does not correspond to any real physical process. Therefore it is just a model, but it is clearly a great advantage to have such a model that is both simple and powerful, in terms of its ability to describe the known results and accurately predict the new ones. Therefore an important step is made in understanding and describing of the quantum phenomena of two-photon entanglement.

Quantum erasure in the near-field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walborn, S. P.

2018-05-01

The phenomenon of quantum erasure has shed light on the nature of wave-particle duality and quantum complementarity. A number of quantum erasers have been realized using the far-field diffraction of photons from a Young double-slit apparatus. By marking the path of a photon using an additional degree of freedom, the usual Young interference pattern is destroyed. An appropriate measurement of the system marking the photon’s path allows one to recover the interference pattern. Here quantum erasure is considered in the context of near-field diffraction. To observe interference in the near-field requires the use of two periodic wave functions, so that the usual ‘which way’ marker then becomes a ‘which-wave function’ marker. We determine the propagation distances for which quantum erasure, or more generally the observation of interference between the two periodic wave functions, can be observed. The meaning of wave and particle-like properties in this scenario is discussed. These results could lead to quantum eraser experiments with material particles, for which interference effects are more readily observed in the near-field rather than the far-field.

Quantum interference in heterogeneous superconducting-photonic circuits on a silicon chip.

PubMed

Schuck, C; Guo, X; Fan, L; Ma, X; Poot, M; Tang, H X

2016-01-21

Quantum information processing holds great promise for communicating and computing data efficiently. However, scaling current photonic implementation approaches to larger system size remains an outstanding challenge for realizing disruptive quantum technology. Two main ingredients of quantum information processors are quantum interference and single-photon detectors. Here we develop a hybrid superconducting-photonic circuit system to show how these elements can be combined in a scalable fashion on a silicon chip. We demonstrate the suitability of this approach for integrated quantum optics by interfering and detecting photon pairs directly on the chip with waveguide-coupled single-photon detectors. Using a directional coupler implemented with silicon nitride nanophotonic waveguides, we observe 97% interference visibility when measuring photon statistics with two monolithically integrated superconducting single-photon detectors. The photonic circuit and detector fabrication processes are compatible with standard semiconductor thin-film technology, making it possible to implement more complex and larger scale quantum photonic circuits on silicon chips.

Franson Interference Generated by a Two-Level System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peiris, M.; Konthasinghe, K.; Muller, A.

2017-01-01

We report a Franson interferometry experiment based on correlated photon pairs generated via frequency-filtered scattered light from a near-resonantly driven two-level semiconductor quantum dot. In contrast to spontaneous parametric down-conversion and four-wave mixing, this approach can produce single pairs of correlated photons. We have measured a Franson visibility as high as 66%, which goes beyond the classical limit of 50% and approaches the limit of violation of Bell's inequalities (70.7%).

On-chip interference of single photons from an embedded quantum dot and an external laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prtljaga, N., E-mail: n.prtljaga@sheffield.ac.uk; Bentham, C.; O'Hara, J.

2016-06-20

In this work, we demonstrate the on-chip two-photon interference between single photons emitted by a single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot and an external laser. The quantum dot is embedded within one arm of an air-clad directional coupler which acts as a beam-splitter for incoming light. Photons originating from an attenuated external laser are coupled to the second arm of the beam-splitter and then combined with the quantum dot photons, giving rise to two-photon quantum interference between dissimilar sources. We verify the occurrence of on-chip Hong-Ou-Mandel interference by cross-correlating the optical signal from the separate output ports of the directional coupler.more » This experimental approach allows us to use a classical light source (laser) to assess in a single step the overall device performance in the quantum regime and probe quantum dot photon indistinguishability on application realistic time scales.« less

Interfacing a quantum dot with a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, Tobias; Prilmüller, Maximilian; Sehner, Michael; Solomon, Glenn S.; Predojević, Ana; Weihs, Gregor

2017-09-01

Quantum networks require interfacing stationary and flying qubits. These flying qubits are usually nonclassical states of light. Here we consider two of the leading source technologies for nonclassical light, spontaneous parametric down-conversion and single semiconductor quantum dots. Down-conversion delivers high-grade entangled photon pairs, whereas quantum dots excel at producing single photons. We report on an experiment that joins these two technologies and investigates the conditions under which optimal interference between these dissimilar light sources may be achieved.

Distribution of polarization-entangled photonpairs produced via spontaneous parametric down-conversion within a local-area fiber network: theoretical model and experiment.

PubMed

Lim, Han Chuen; Yoshizawa, Akio; Tsuchida, Hidemi; Kikuchi, Kazuro

2008-09-15

We present a theoretical model for the distribution of polarization-entangled photon-pairs produced via spontaneous parametric down-conversion within a local-area fiber network. This model allows an entanglement distributor who plays the role of a service provider to determine the photon-pair generation rate giving highest two-photon interference fringe visibility for any pair of users, when given user-specific parameters. Usefulness of this model is illustrated in an example and confirmed in an experiment, where polarization-entangled photon-pairs are distributed over 82 km and 132 km of dispersion-managed optical fiber. Experimentally observed visibilities and entanglement fidelities are in good agreement with theoretically predicted values.

Quantum interference in heterogeneous superconducting-photonic circuits on a silicon chip

PubMed Central

Schuck, C.; Guo, X.; Fan, L.; Ma, X.; Poot, M.; Tang, H. X.

2016-01-01

Quantum information processing holds great promise for communicating and computing data efficiently. However, scaling current photonic implementation approaches to larger system size remains an outstanding challenge for realizing disruptive quantum technology. Two main ingredients of quantum information processors are quantum interference and single-photon detectors. Here we develop a hybrid superconducting-photonic circuit system to show how these elements can be combined in a scalable fashion on a silicon chip. We demonstrate the suitability of this approach for integrated quantum optics by interfering and detecting photon pairs directly on the chip with waveguide-coupled single-photon detectors. Using a directional coupler implemented with silicon nitride nanophotonic waveguides, we observe 97% interference visibility when measuring photon statistics with two monolithically integrated superconducting single-photon detectors. The photonic circuit and detector fabrication processes are compatible with standard semiconductor thin-film technology, making it possible to implement more complex and larger scale quantum photonic circuits on silicon chips. PMID:26792424

Frequency-domain Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with linear optics.

PubMed

Imany, Poolad; Odele, Ogaga D; Alshaykh, Mohammed S; Lu, Hsuan-Hao; Leaird, Daniel E; Weiner, Andrew M

2018-06-15

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference is one of the most fundamental quantum-mechanical effects that reveal a nonclassical behavior of single photons. Two identical photons that are incident on the input ports of an unbiased beam splitter always exit the beam splitter together from the same output port, an effect referred to as photon bunching. In this Letter, we utilize a single electro-optic phase modulator as a probabilistic frequency beam splitter, which we exploit to observe HOM interference between two photons that are in different spectral modes, yet are identical in other characteristics. Our approach enables linear optical quantum information processing protocols using the frequency degree of freedom in photons such as quantum computing techniques with linear optics.

Pulsed source of spectrally uncorrelated and indistinguishable photons at telecom wavelengths.

PubMed

Bruno, N; Martin, A; Guerreiro, T; Sanguinetti, B; Thew, R T

2014-07-14

We report on the generation of indistinguishable photon pairs at telecom wavelengths based on a type-II parametric down conversion process in a periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) crystal. The phase matching, pump laser characteristics and coupling geometry are optimised to obtain spectrally uncorrelated photons with high coupling efficiencies. Four photons are generated by a counter-propagating pump in the same crystal and anlysed via two photon interference experiments between photons from each pair source as well as joint spectral and g((2)) measurements. We obtain a spectral purity of 0.91 and coupling efficiencies around 90% for all four photons without any filtering. These pure indistinguishable photon sources at telecom wavelengths are perfectly adapted for quantum network demonstrations and other multi-photon protocols.

A nanodiamond-tapered fiber system with high single-mode coupling efficiency.

PubMed

Schröder, Tim; Fujiwara, Masazumi; Noda, Tetsuya; Zhao, Hong-Quan; Benson, Oliver; Takeuchi, Shigeki

2012-05-07

We present a fiber-coupled diamond-based single photon system. Single nanodiamonds containing nitrogen vacancy defect centers are deposited on a tapered fiber of 273 nanometer in diameter providing a record-high number of 689,000 single photons per second from a defect center in a single-mode fiber. The system can be cooled to cryogenic temperatures and coupled evanescently to other nanophotonic structures, such as microresonators. The system is suitable for integrated quantum transmission experiments, two-photon interference, quantum-random-number generation and nano-magnetometry.

Double-mode Two-photon Absorption and Enhanced Photon Antibunching Due to Interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandilla, A.; Ritze, H.-H.

Inspired by results of interfering signal and idler from a nondegenerate parametric amplifier we investigate the photon statistics of the resulting field after interference of two components subjected to double-mode two-photon absorption. This absorption process leads to a strong correlation of the participating modes, which can be used to generate fields with photon antibunching in interference experiments. In addition the photon number can be made small, which produces enhanced antibunching.Translated AbstractZwei-Photonen-Absorption aus zwei Moden und durch Interferenz verstärktes photon antibunchingDie quantenmechanische Betrachtung der Interferenz führt zu neuen Ergebnissen, wenn Felder ohne klassisches Analogon betrachtet werden. Insbesondere ergibt sich durch die Reduktion der Photonenzahl durch Interferenz eine effektive Verstärkung des Photon Antibunching, wie von den Verfassern in vorhergehenden Arbeiten gezeigt wurde. Die vorliegende Untersuchung betrachtet die Interferenz von zwei korrelierten Moden, wobei die Korrelation durch Zwei-Photonen-Absorption aus den beiden Moden zustande kommt. In jeder einzelnen Mode ergibt sich lediglich ein gewisses Bunching, wenn man mit kohärentem Licht in beiden Moden beginnt. Es wird die Interferenz der Feldstärke-Komponenten in bestimmten Polarisationsrichtungen untersucht. Zur Vereinfachung wird in den betrachteten Moden die gleiche Anfangsphotonenzahl vorausgesetzt und der Analysator auf minimale Transmittanz gebracht. Das eigentliche Signal entsteht dann durch Einführung einer endlichen Phasenverschiebung zwischen den beiden Moden. Dieses Signal zeigt Antibunching und kann in seiner Intensität beliebig variiert werden, was wegen des (1/n)-Charakters des Antibunching zu seiner Verstärkung führt. Ferner wird gezeigt, daß die zunächst für zwei linear polarisierte Moden durchgeführte Rechnung auf zwei zirkulare Moden sowie auf zwei gegenläufige Strahlen bei der dopplerfreien Zwei-Quanten-Absorption übertragen werden kann. Die Ergebnisse werden durch numerische Rechnungen gestützt und schließlich durch approximative Methoden reproduziert und erweitert.

Direct measurement of the biphoton Wigner function through two-photon interference

PubMed Central

Douce, T.; Eckstein, A.; Walborn, S. P.; Khoury, A. Z.; Ducci, S.; Keller, A.; Coudreau, T.; Milman, P.

2013-01-01

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiment was a benchmark in quantum optics, evidencing the non–classical nature of photon pairs, later generalized to quantum systems with either bosonic or fermionic statistics. We show that a simple modification in the well-known and widely used HOM experiment provides the direct measurement of the Wigner function. We apply our results to one of the most reliable quantum systems, consisting of biphotons generated by parametric down conversion. A consequence of our results is that a negative value of the Wigner function is a sufficient condition for non-gaussian entanglement between two photons. In the general case, the Wigner function provides all the required information to infer entanglement using well known necessary and sufficient criteria. The present work offers a new vision of the HOM experiment that further develops its possibilities to realize fundamental tests of quantum mechanics using simple optical set-ups. PMID:24346262

Integrable optical-fiber source of polarization-entangled photon pairs in the telecom band

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li Xiaoying; Liang Chuang; Fook Lee, Kim

We demonstrate an optical-fiber-based source of polarization-entangled photon pairs with improved quality and efficiency, which has been integrated with off-the-shelf telecom components and is, therefore, well suited for quantum communication applications in the 1550-nm telecom band. Polarization entanglement is produced by simultaneously pumping a loop of standard dispersion-shifted fiber with two orthogonally polarized pump pulses, one propagating in the clockwise and the other in the counterclockwise direction. We characterize this source by investigating two-photon interference between the generated signal-idler photon pairs under various conditions. The experimental parameters are carefully optimized to maximize the generated photon-pair correlation and to minimize contaminationmore » of the entangled photon pairs from extraneously scattered background photons that are produced by the pump pulses for two reasons: (i) spontaneous Raman scattering causes uncorrelated photons to be emitted in the signal and idler bands and (ii) broadening of the pump-pulse spectrum due to self-phase modulation causes pump photons to leak into the signal and idler bands. We obtain two-photon interference with visibility >90% without subtracting counts caused by the background photons (only dark counts of the detectors are subtracted), when the mean photon number in the signal (idler) channel is about 0.02/pulse, while no interference is observed in direct detection of either the signal or idler photons.« less

Observation of Genuine Three-Photon Interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agne, Sascha; Kauten, Thomas; Jin, Jeongwan; Meyer-Scott, Evan; Salvail, Jeff Z.; Hamel, Deny R.; Resch, Kevin J.; Weihs, Gregor; Jennewein, Thomas

2017-04-01

Multiparticle quantum interference is critical for our understanding and exploitation of quantum information, and for fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. A remarkable example of multi-partite correlations is exhibited by the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state. In a GHZ state, three particles are correlated while no pairwise correlation is found. The manifestation of these strong correlations in an interferometric setting has been studied theoretically since 1990 but no three-photon GHZ interferometer has been realized experimentally. Here we demonstrate three-photon interference that does not originate from two-photon or single photon interference. We observe phase-dependent variation of three-photon coincidences with (92.7 ±4.6 )% visibility in a generalized Franson interferometer using energy-time entangled photon triplets. The demonstration of these strong correlations in an interferometric setting provides new avenues for multiphoton interferometry, fundamental tests of quantum mechanics, and quantum information applications in higher dimensions.

Detector-device-independent quantum key distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Korzh, Boris; Martin, Anthony

2014-12-01

Recently, a quantum key distribution (QKD) scheme based on entanglement swapping, called measurement-device-independent QKD (mdiQKD), was proposed to bypass all measurement side-channel attacks. While mdiQKD is conceptually elegant and offers a supreme level of security, the experimental complexity is challenging for practical systems. For instance, it requires interference between two widely separated independent single-photon sources, and the secret key rates are dependent on detecting two photons—one from each source. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-principle experiment of a QKD scheme that removes the need for a two-photon system and instead uses the idea of a two-qubit single-photon to significantly simplify themore » implementation and improve the efficiency of mdiQKD in several aspects.« less

1.5-μm band polarization entangled photon-pair source with variable Bell states.

PubMed

Arahira, Shin; Kishimoto, Tadashi; Murai, Hitoshi

2012-04-23

In this paper we report a polarization-entangled photon-pair source in a 1.5-μm band which can generate arbitrary entangled states including four maximum entangled states (Bell states) by using cascaded optical second nonlinearities (second-harmonic generation and the following spontaneous parametric down conversion) in a periodically poled LiNbO(3) (PPLN) ridge-waveguide device. Exchange among the Bell states was achieved by using an optical phase bias compensator (OPBC) in a Sagnac loop interferometer and a half-wave plate outside the loop for polarization conversion. Quantitative evaluation was made on the performance of the photon-pair source through the experiments of two-photon interferences, quantum state tomography, and test of violation of Bell inequality. We observed high visibilities of 96%, fidelities of 97%, and 2.71 of the S parameter in inequality of Clauser, Horne, Shimony, and Holt (CHSH). The experimental values, including peak coincidence counts in the two-photon interference (approximately 170 counts per second), remained almost unchanged in despite of the exchange among the Bell states. They were also in good agreement with the theoretical assumption from the mean number of the photon-pairs under the test (0.04 per pulse). More detailed experimental studies on the dependence of the mean number of the photon-pairs revealed that the quantum states were well understood as the Werner state. © 2012 Optical Society of America

High-order dispersion effects in two-photon interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzotta, Zeudi; Cialdi, Simone; Cipriani, Daniele; Olivares, Stefano; Paris, Matteo G. A.

2016-12-01

Two-photon interference and Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect are relevant tools for quantum metrology and quantum information processing. In optical coherence tomography, the HOM effect is exploited to achieve high-resolution measurements with the width of the HOM dip being the main parameter. On the other hand, applications like dense coding require high-visibility performance. Here we address high-order dispersion effects in two-photon interference and study, theoretically and experimentally, the dependence of the visibility and the width of the HOM dip on both the pump spectrum and the downconverted photon spectrum. In particular, a spatial light modulator is exploited to experimentally introduce and manipulate a custom phase function to simulate the high-order dispersion effects. Overall, we show that it is possible to effectively introduce high-order dispersion effects on the propagation of photons and also to compensate for such effect. Our results clarify the role of the different dispersion phenomena and pave the way for optimization procedures in quantum technological applications involving PDC photons and optical fibers.

Photonic band gap effect and structural color from silver nanoparticle gelatin emulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kok, Mang Hin; Ma, Rui; Lee, Jeffrey Chi Wai; Tam, Wing Yim; Chan, C. T.; Sheng, Ping; Cheah, Kok Wai

2005-10-01

We have fabricated planar structures of silver nanoparticles in monochromatic gelatin emulsion with a continuous spacing ranging from 0.15-0.40 micron using a two-beam interference of a single laser source. Our planar holograms display a colorful “rainbow” pattern and photonic bandgaps covering the visible and IR ranges. We model the planar silver nanoparticle-gelatin composite system using an effective medium approach and good agreement is obtained between theory and experiment.

Multi-photon absorption limits to heralded single photon sources

PubMed Central

Husko, Chad A.; Clark, Alex S.; Collins, Matthew J.; De Rossi, Alfredo; Combrié, Sylvain; Lehoucq, Gaëlle; Rey, Isabella H.; Krauss, Thomas F.; Xiong, Chunle; Eggleton, Benjamin J.

2013-01-01

Single photons are of paramount importance to future quantum technologies, including quantum communication and computation. Nonlinear photonic devices using parametric processes offer a straightforward route to generating photons, however additional nonlinear processes may come into play and interfere with these sources. Here we analyse spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) sources in the presence of multi-photon processes. We conduct experiments in silicon and gallium indium phosphide photonic crystal waveguides which display inherently different nonlinear absorption processes, namely two-photon (TPA) and three-photon absorption (ThPA), respectively. We develop a novel model capturing these diverse effects which is in excellent quantitative agreement with measurements of brightness, coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) and second-order correlation function g(2)(0), showing that TPA imposes an intrinsic limit on heralded single photon sources. We build on these observations to devise a new metric, the quantum utility (QMU), enabling further optimisation of single photon sources. PMID:24186400

Quantum optical tests of complementarity: Quantum eraser and the decoherence time of a local measurement process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abranyos, Yonatan

1999-10-01

Quantum optical tests of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, in particular, complementarity, entanglement and non-locality, are the central themes of this dissertation. A which-path experiment is implemented based on a recent experiment by Eichmann et al. [1] involving two four-level atoms. In the version considered here a continuous Broad Band Excitation field drives the two trapped atoms and, depending on the type of scattering, information about which atom scattered the light is stored in the internal degrees of the atoms. Entanglement of the atoms-photon system is intimately connected to the availability of ``which way'' information. The quantum eraser disentangles the atoms-photon system and consequently ``which way'' information is lost leading to interference. Two different experimental schemes based on the Eichmann et al. experiment are proposed for the implementation of the quantum eraser. The quantum eraser schemes erase the ``which way'' information and interference is observed in the second order correlation function. With a slight modification of the experiment, a scheme that allows to verify recently derived inequalities by Englert [2] in connection with distinguishability and visibility in a two-way interferometer is proposed. These inequalities, in some sense, can be regarded as quantifying the notion of wave-particle duality. The visibility of interference depends on the detected polarization direction of the scattered light, and a reading out of the internal atomic states of one of the two atoms provides for partial ``which way'' information or distinguishability of the two different paths. Finally, the quantum eraser is used to measure the decoherence time of a local measurement process. The experiment proposed is similar to the quantum eraser setup and contains the complete measurement process of system-meter-environment interaction. The decoherence time is quantitatively expressed in the amount of reduction of the visibility in the second order correlation function. In addition, it explores how we can cast the question of quantum coherence of mesoscopic or macroscopic systems with a quantum eraser or in general interference experiments.

Synchronization of optical photons for quantum information processing.

PubMed

Makino, Kenzo; Hashimoto, Yosuke; Yoshikawa, Jun-Ichi; Ohdan, Hideaki; Toyama, Takeshi; van Loock, Peter; Furusawa, Akira

2016-05-01

A fundamental element of quantum information processing with photonic qubits is the nonclassical quantum interference between two photons when they bunch together via the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect. Ultimately, many such photons must be processed in complex interferometric networks. For this purpose, it is essential to synchronize the arrival times of the flying photons and to keep their purities high. On the basis of the recent experimental success of single-photon storage with high purity, we demonstrate for the first time the HOM interference of two heralded, nearly pure optical photons synchronized through two independent quantum memories. Controlled storage times of up to 1.8 μs for about 90 events per second were achieved with purities that were sufficiently high for a negative Wigner function confirmed with homodyne measurements.

Synchronization of optical photons for quantum information processing

PubMed Central

Makino, Kenzo; Hashimoto, Yosuke; Yoshikawa, Jun-ichi; Ohdan, Hideaki; Toyama, Takeshi; van Loock, Peter; Furusawa, Akira

2016-01-01

A fundamental element of quantum information processing with photonic qubits is the nonclassical quantum interference between two photons when they bunch together via the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect. Ultimately, many such photons must be processed in complex interferometric networks. For this purpose, it is essential to synchronize the arrival times of the flying photons and to keep their purities high. On the basis of the recent experimental success of single-photon storage with high purity, we demonstrate for the first time the HOM interference of two heralded, nearly pure optical photons synchronized through two independent quantum memories. Controlled storage times of up to 1.8 μs for about 90 events per second were achieved with purities that were sufficiently high for a negative Wigner function confirmed with homodyne measurements. PMID:27386536

Sensing coherent phonons with two-photon interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ding; Yin, Xiaobo; Li, Baowen

2018-02-01

Detecting coherent phonons pose different challenges compared to coherent photons due to the much stronger interaction between phonons and matter. This is especially true for high frequency heat carrying phonons, which are intrinsic lattice vibrations experiencing many decoherence events with the environment, and are thus generally assumed to be incoherent. Two photon interference techniques, especially coherent population trapping (CPT) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), have led to extremely sensitive detection, spectroscopy and metrology. Here, we propose the use of two photon interference in a three-level system to sense coherent phonons. Unlike prior works which have treated phonon coupling as damping, we account for coherent phonon coupling using a full quantum-mechanical treatment. We observe strong asymmetry in absorption spectrum in CPT and negative dispersion in EIT susceptibility in the presence of coherent phonon coupling which cannot be accounted for if only pure phonon damping is considered. Our proposal has application in sensing heat carrying coherent phonons effects and understanding coherent bosonic multi-pathway interference effects in three coupled oscillator systems.

Effect of chromatic-dispersion-induced chirp on the temporal coherence properties of individual beams from spontaneous four-wave mixing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma Xiaoxin; Li Xiaoying; Cui Liang

2011-08-15

Temporal coherence of individual signal or idler beam, determined by the spectral correlation property of photon pairs, is important for realizing quantum interference among independent sources. Based on spontaneous four-wave mixing in optical fibers, we study the effect of chirp on the temporal coherence property by introducing a different amount of chirp into either the pulsed pump or individual signal (idler) beam. The investigation shows that the pump chirp induces additional frequency correlation into photon pairs; the mutual spectral correlation of photon pairs and the coherence of individual beam can be characterized by measuring the intensity correlation function g{sup (2)}more » of the individual beam. To improve the coherence degree, the pump chirp should be minimized. Moreover, a Hong-Ou-Mandel-type two-photon interference experiment with the signal beams generated in two different fibers illustrates that the chirp of the individual signal (idler) beam does not change the temporal coherence degree, but affects the temporal mode matching. To achieve high visibility among multiple sources, apart from improving the coherence degree, mode matching should be optimized by managing the chirps of individual beams.« less

Simultaneous observation of the quantization and the interference pattern of a plasmonic near-field

DOE PAGES

Piazza, L.; Lummen, T. T. A.; Quiñonez, E.; ...

2015-03-02

Surface plasmon polaritons can confine electromagnetic fields in subwavelength spaces and are of interest for photonics, optical data storage devices and biosensing applications. In analogy to photons, they exhibit wave–particle duality, whose different aspects have recently been observed in separate tailored experiments. Here we demonstrate the ability of ultrafast transmission electron microscopy to simultaneously image both the spatial interference and the quantization of such confined plasmonic fields. Our experiments are accomplished by spatiotemporally overlapping electron and light pulses on a single nanowire suspended on a graphene film. The resulting energy exchange between single electrons and the quanta of the photoinducedmore » near-field is imaged synchronously with its spatial interference pattern. In conclusion, this methodology enables the control and visualization of plasmonic fields at the nanoscale, providing a promising tool for understanding the fundamental properties of confined electromagnetic fields and the development of advanced photonic circuits.« less

Simultaneous observation of the quantization and the interference pattern of a plasmonic near-field

PubMed Central

Piazza, L; Lummen, T.T.A.; Quiñonez, E; Murooka, Y; Reed, B.W.; Barwick, B; Carbone, F

2015-01-01

Surface plasmon polaritons can confine electromagnetic fields in subwavelength spaces and are of interest for photonics, optical data storage devices and biosensing applications. In analogy to photons, they exhibit wave–particle duality, whose different aspects have recently been observed in separate tailored experiments. Here we demonstrate the ability of ultrafast transmission electron microscopy to simultaneously image both the spatial interference and the quantization of such confined plasmonic fields. Our experiments are accomplished by spatiotemporally overlapping electron and light pulses on a single nanowire suspended on a graphene film. The resulting energy exchange between single electrons and the quanta of the photoinduced near-field is imaged synchronously with its spatial interference pattern. This methodology enables the control and visualization of plasmonic fields at the nanoscale, providing a promising tool for understanding the fundamental properties of confined electromagnetic fields and the development of advanced photonic circuits. PMID:25728197

Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of entangled Hermite-Gauss modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yingwen; Prabhakar, Shashi; Rosales-Guzmán, Carmelo; Roux, Filippus S.; Karimi, Ebrahim; Forbes, Andrew

2016-09-01

Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference is demonstrated experimentally for entangled photon pairs in the Hermite-Gauss (HG) basis. We use two Dove prisms in one of the paths of the photons to manipulate the entangled quantum state that enters the HOM interferometer. It is demonstrated that, when entangled photon pairs are in a symmetric Bell state in the Laguerre-Gauss (LG) basis, they will remain symmetric after decomposing them into the HG basis, thereby resulting in no coincidence events after the HOM interference. On the other hand, if the photon pairs are in an antisymmetric Bell state in the LG basis, then they will also be antisymmetric in the HG basis, thereby producing only coincidence events as a result of the HOM interference.

Measurement of infrared optical constants with visible photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paterova, Anna; Yang, Hongzhi; An, Chengwu; Kalashnikov, Dmitry; Krivitsky, Leonid

2018-04-01

We demonstrate a new scheme for infrared spectroscopy with visible light sources and detectors. The technique relies on the nonlinear interference of correlated photons, produced via spontaneous parametric down conversion in a nonlinear crystal. Visible and infrared photons are split into two paths and the infrared photons interact with the sample under study. The photons are reflected back to the crystal, resembling a conventional Michelson interferometer. Interference of the visible photons is observed and it is dependent on the phases of all three interacting photons: pump, visible and infrared. The transmission coefficient and the refractive index of the sample in the infrared range can be inferred from the interference pattern of visible photons. The method does not require the use of potentially expensive and inefficient infrared detectors and sources, it can be applied to a broad variety of samples, and it does not require a priori knowledge of sample properties in the visible range.

Characterizing multi-photon quantum interference with practical light sources and threshold single-photon detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, Álvaro; Wang, Wenyuan; Xu, Feihu; Curty, Marcos

2018-04-01

The experimental characterization of multi-photon quantum interference effects in optical networks is essential in many applications of photonic quantum technologies, which include quantum computing and quantum communication as two prominent examples. However, such characterization often requires technologies which are beyond our current experimental capabilities, and today's methods suffer from errors due to the use of imperfect sources and photodetectors. In this paper, we introduce a simple experimental technique to characterize multi-photon quantum interference by means of practical laser sources and threshold single-photon detectors. Our technique is based on well-known methods in quantum cryptography which use decoy settings to tightly estimate the statistics provided by perfect devices. As an illustration of its practicality, we use this technique to obtain a tight estimation of both the generalized Hong‑Ou‑Mandel dip in a beamsplitter with six input photons and the three-photon coincidence probability at the output of a tritter.

Quantum teleportation from a propagating photon to a solid-state spin qubit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, W. B.; Fallahi, P.; Togan, E.; Delteil, A.; Chin, Y. S.; Miguel-Sanchez, J.; Imamoğlu, A.

2013-11-01

A quantum interface between a propagating photon used to transmit quantum information and a long-lived qubit used for storage is of central interest in quantum information science. A method for implementing such an interface between dissimilar qubits is quantum teleportation. Here we experimentally demonstrate transfer of quantum information carried by a photon to a semiconductor spin using quantum teleportation. In our experiment, a single photon in a superposition state is generated using resonant excitation of a neutral dot. To teleport this photonic qubit, we generate an entangled spin-photon state in a second dot located 5 m away and interfere the photons from the two dots in a Hong-Ou-Mandel set-up. Thanks to an unprecedented degree of photon-indistinguishability, a coincidence detection at the output of the interferometer heralds successful teleportation, which we verify by measuring the resulting spin state after prolonging its coherence time by optical spin-echo.

Quantum teleportation from a propagating photon to a solid-state spin qubit.

PubMed

Gao, W B; Fallahi, P; Togan, E; Delteil, A; Chin, Y S; Miguel-Sanchez, J; Imamoğlu, A

2013-01-01

A quantum interface between a propagating photon used to transmit quantum information and a long-lived qubit used for storage is of central interest in quantum information science. A method for implementing such an interface between dissimilar qubits is quantum teleportation. Here we experimentally demonstrate transfer of quantum information carried by a photon to a semiconductor spin using quantum teleportation. In our experiment, a single photon in a superposition state is generated using resonant excitation of a neutral dot. To teleport this photonic qubit, we generate an entangled spin-photon state in a second dot located 5 m away and interfere the photons from the two dots in a Hong-Ou-Mandel set-up. Thanks to an unprecedented degree of photon-indistinguishability, a coincidence detection at the output of the interferometer heralds successful teleportation, which we verify by measuring the resulting spin state after prolonging its coherence time by optical spin-echo.

Carrier-envelope phase control over pathway interference in strong-field dissociation of H2+.

PubMed

Kling, Nora G; Betsch, K J; Zohrabi, M; Zeng, S; Anis, F; Ablikim, U; Jochim, Bethany; Wang, Z; Kübel, M; Kling, M F; Carnes, K D; Esry, B D; Ben-Itzhak, I

2013-10-18

The dissociation of an H2+ molecular-ion beam by linearly polarized, carrier-envelope-phase-tagged 5 fs pulses at 4×10(14) W/cm2 with a central wavelength of 730 nm was studied using a coincidence 3D momentum imaging technique. Carrier-envelope-phase-dependent asymmetries in the emission direction of H+ fragments relative to the laser polarization were observed. These asymmetries are caused by interference of odd and even photon number pathways, where net zero-photon and one-photon interference predominantly contributes at H+ + H kinetic energy releases of 0.2-0.45 eV, and net two-photon and one-photon interference contributes at 1.65-1.9 eV. These measurements of the benchmark H2+ molecule offer the distinct advantage that they can be quantitatively compared with ab initio theory to confirm our understanding of strong-field coherent control via the carrier-envelope phase.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm experiment and Bell inequality violation using Type 2 parametric down conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiess, Thomas E.; Shih, Yan-Hua; Sergienko, A. V.; Alley, Carroll O.

1994-01-01

We report a new two-photon polarization correlation experiment for realizing the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm (EPRB) state and for testing Bell-type inequalities. We use the pair of orthogonally-polarized light quanta generated in Type 2 parametric down conversion. Using 1 nm interference filters in front of our detectors, we observe from the output of a 0.5mm beta - BaB2O4 (BBO) crystal the EPRB correlations in coincidence counts, and measure an associated Bell inequality violation of 22 standard deviations. The quantum state of the photon pair is a polarization analog of the spin-1/2 singlet state.

Investigating and improving student understanding of quantum mechanics in the context of single photon interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-06-01

Single photon experiments involving a Mach-Zehnder interferometer can illustrate the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, e.g., the wave-particle duality of a single photon, single photon interference, and the probabilistic nature of quantum measurement involving single photons. These experiments explicitly make the connection between the abstract quantum theory and concrete laboratory settings and have the potential to help students develop a solid grasp of the foundational issues in quantum mechanics. Here we describe students' conceptual difficulties with these topics in the context of Mach-Zehnder interferometer experiments with single photons and how the difficulties found in written surveys and individual interviews were used as a guide in the development of a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT). The QuILT uses an inquiry-based approach to learning and takes into account the conceptual difficulties found via research to help upper-level undergraduate and graduate students learn about foundational quantum mechanics concepts using the concrete quantum optics context. It strives to help students learn the basics of quantum mechanics in the context of single photon experiment, develop the ability to apply fundamental quantum principles to experimental situations in quantum optics, and explore the differences between classical and quantum ideas in a concrete context. We discuss the findings from in-class evaluations suggesting that the QuILT was effective in helping students learn these abstract concepts.

Computer Simulation for Calculating the Second-Order Correlation Function of Classical and Quantum Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Facao, M.; Lopes, A.; Silva, A. L.; Silva, P.

2011-01-01

We propose an undergraduate numerical project for simulating the results of the second-order correlation function as obtained by an intensity interference experiment for two kinds of light, namely bunched light with Gaussian or Lorentzian power density spectrum and antibunched light obtained from single-photon sources. While the algorithm for…

Understanding interference experiments with polarized light through photon trajectories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanz, A.S.; Davidovic, M.; Bozic, M.

2010-04-15

Bohmian mechanics allows to visualize and understand the quantum-mechanical behavior of massive particles in terms of trajectories. As shown by Bialynicki-Birula, Electromagnetism also admits a hydrodynamical formulation when the existence of a wave function for photons (properly defined) is assumed. This formulation thus provides an alternative interpretation of optical phenomena in terms of photon trajectories, whose flow yields a pictorial view of the evolution of the electromagnetic energy density in configuration space. This trajectory-based theoretical framework is considered here to study and analyze the outcome from Young-type diffraction experiments within the context of the Arago-Fresnel laws. More specifically, photon trajectoriesmore » in the region behind the two slits are obtained in the case where the slits are illuminated by a polarized monochromatic plane wave. Expressions to determine electromagnetic energy flow lines and photon trajectories within this scenario are provided, as well as a procedure to compute them in the particular case of gratings totally transparent inside the slits and completely absorbing outside them. As is shown, the electromagnetic energy flow lines obtained allow to monitor at each point of space the behavior of the electromagnetic energy flow and, therefore, to evaluate the effects caused on it by the presence (right behind each slit) of polarizers with the same or different polarization axes. This leads to a trajectory-based picture of the Arago-Fresnel laws for the interference of polarized light.« less

Complementarity and Young's interference fringes from two atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itano, W. M.; Bergquist, J. C.; Bollinger, J. J.; Wineland, D. J.; Eichmann, U.; Raizen, M. G.

1998-06-01

The interference pattern of the resonance fluorescence from a J=1/2 to J=1/2 transition of two identical atoms confined in a three-dimensional harmonic potential is calculated. The thermal motion of the atoms is included. Agreement is obtained with experiments [U. Eichmann et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 2359 (1993)]. Contrary to some theoretical predictions, but in agreement with the present calculations, a fringe visibility greater than 50% can be observed with polarization-selective detection. The dependence of the fringe visibility on polarization has a simple interpretation, based on whether or not it is possible in principle to determine which atom emitted the photon.

Optical Parametric Amplification of Single Photon: Statistical Properties and Quantum Interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xue-Xiang; Yuan, Hong-Chun

2014-05-01

By using phase space method, we theoretically investigate the quantum statistical properties and quantum interference of optical parametric amplification of single photon. The statistical properties, such as the Wigner function (WF), average photon number, photon number distribution and parity, are derived analytically for the fields of the two output ports. The results indicate that the fields in the output ports are multiphoton states rather than single photon state due to the amplification of the optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). In addition, the phase sensitivity is also examined by using the detection scheme of parity measurement.

Robust sub-millihertz-level offset locking for transferring optical frequency accuracy and for atomic two-photon spectroscopy.

PubMed

Cheng, Wang-Yau; Chen, Ting-Ju; Lin, Chia-Wei; Chen, Bo-Wei; Yang, Ya-Po; Hsu, Hung Yi

2017-02-06

Robust sub-millihertz-level offset locking was achieved with a simple scheme, by which we were able to transfer the laser frequency stability and accuracy from either cesium-stabilized diode laser or comb laser to the other diode lasers who had serious frequency jitter previously. The offset lock developed in this paper played an important role in atomic two-photon spectroscopy with which record resolution and new determination on the hyperfine constants of cesium atom were achieved. A quantum-interference experiment was performed to show the improvement of light coherence as an extended design was implemented.

Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Leo; Natarajan, Chandra M.; Horikiri, Tomoyuki; Langrock, Carsten; Pelc, Jason S.; Tanner, Michael G.; Abe, Eisuke; Maier, Sebastian; Schneider, Christian; Höfling, Sven; Kamp, Martin; Hadfield, Robert H.; Fejer, Martin M.; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

2015-11-01

Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances.

Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits.

PubMed

Yu, Leo; Natarajan, Chandra M; Horikiri, Tomoyuki; Langrock, Carsten; Pelc, Jason S; Tanner, Michael G; Abe, Eisuke; Maier, Sebastian; Schneider, Christian; Höfling, Sven; Kamp, Martin; Hadfield, Robert H; Fejer, Martin M; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

2015-11-24

Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances.

Ultrasmall multi-channel resonant-tunneling filter using mode gap of width-tuned photonic-crystal waveguide.

PubMed

Shinya, Akihiko; Mitsugi, Satoshi; Kuramochi, Eiichi; Notomi, Masaya

2005-05-30

We have devised an ultra-small multi-channel drop filter based on a two-port resonant tunneling system in a two-dimensional photonic crystal with a triangular air-hole lattice. This filter does not require careful consideration of the interference process to achieve a high dropping efficiency. First we develop three-port systems based on a two-port resonant tunneling filter. Next we devise a multi-port channel drop filter by cascading these three-port systems. In this paper, we demonstrate a ten-channel drop filter with an 18 mum device size by 2D-FDTD calculation, and a three-port resonant tunneling filter with 65+/- 20 % dropping efficiency by experiment.

Single-plasmon interferences

PubMed Central

Dheur, Marie-Christine; Devaux, Eloïse; Ebbesen, Thomas W.; Baron, Alexandre; Rodier, Jean-Claude; Hugonin, Jean-Paul; Lalanne, Philippe; Greffet, Jean-Jacques; Messin, Gaétan; Marquier, François

2016-01-01

Surface plasmon polaritons are electromagnetic waves coupled to collective electron oscillations propagating along metal-dielectric interfaces, exhibiting a bosonic character. Recent experiments involving surface plasmons guided by wires or stripes allowed the reproduction of quantum optics effects, such as antibunching with a single surface plasmon state, coalescence with a two-plasmon state, conservation of squeezing, or entanglement through plasmonic channels. We report the first direct demonstration of the wave-particle duality for a single surface plasmon freely propagating along a planar metal-air interface. We develop a platform that enables two complementary experiments, one revealing the particle behavior of the single-plasmon state through antibunching, and the other one where the interferences prove its wave nature. This result opens up new ways to exploit quantum conversion effects between different bosonic species as shown here with photons and polaritons. PMID:26998521

Hong-Ou-Mandel Interference between Two Deterministic Collective Excitations in an Atomic Ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Zhou, Ming-Ti; Jing, Bo; Wang, Xu-Jie; Yang, Sheng-Jun; Jiang, Xiao; Mølmer, Klaus; Bao, Xiao-Hui; Pan, Jian-Wei

2016-10-01

We demonstrate deterministic generation of two distinct collective excitations in one atomic ensemble, and we realize the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between them. Using Rydberg blockade we create single collective excitations in two different Zeeman levels, and we use stimulated Raman transitions to perform a beam-splitter operation between the excited atomic modes. By converting the atomic excitations into photons, the two-excitation interference is measured by photon coincidence detection with a visibility of 0.89(6). The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference witnesses an entangled NOON state of the collective atomic excitations, and we demonstrate its two times enhanced sensitivity to a magnetic field compared with a single excitation. Our work implements a minimal instance of boson sampling and paves the way for further multimode and multiexcitation studies with collective excitations of atomic ensembles.

Characterization of a remote optical element with bi-photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puhlmann, D.; Henkel, C.; Heuer, A.; Pieplow, G.; Menzel, R.

2016-02-01

We present a simple setup that exploits the interference of entangled photon pairs. ‘Signal’ photons are sent through a Mach-Zehnder-like interferometer, while ‘idlers’ are detected in a variable polarization state. Two-photon interference (in coincidence detection) is observed with very high contrast and for significant time delays between signal and idler detection events. This is explained by quantum erasure of the polarization tag and a delayed choice protocol involving a non-local virtual polarizer. The phase of the two-photon fringes is scanned by varying the path length in the signal beam or by rotating a birefringent crystal in the idler beam. We exploit this to characterize one beam splitter of the signal photon interferometer (reflection and transmission amplitudes including losses), using only information about coincidences and control parameters in the idler path. This is possible because our bi-photon state saturates the Greenberger-Yelin-Englert inequality between contrast and predictability.

Off-Resonant Two-Photon Absorption Cross-Section Enhancement of an Organic Chromophore on Gold Nanorods

PubMed Central

Sivapalan, Sean T.; Vella, Jarrett H.; Yang, Timothy K.; Dalton, Matthew J.; Haley, Joy E.; Cooper, Thomas M.; Urbas, Augustine M.; Tan, Loon-Seng; Murphy, Catherine J.

2013-01-01

Surface-plasmon-initiated interference effects of polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods on the two-photon absorption of an organic chromophore were investigated. With polyelectrolyte bearing gold nanorods of 2,4,6 and 8 layers, the role of the plasmonic fields as function of distance on such effects was examined. An unusual distance dependence was found: enhancements in the two-photon cross-section were at a minimum at an intermediate distance, then rose again at a further distance. The observed values of enhancement were compared to theoretical predictions using finite element analysis and showed good agreementdue to constructive and destructive interference effects. PMID:23687561

Two-photon interference and coherent control of single InAs quantum dot emissions in an Ag-embedded structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, X., E-mail: iu.xiangming@nims.go.jp; National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044; Kumano, H.

2014-07-28

We have recently reported the successful fabrication of bright single-photon sources based on Ag-embedded nanocone structures that incorporate InAs quantum dots. The source had a photon collection efficiency as high as 24.6%. Here, we show the results of various types of photonic characterizations of the Ag-embedded nanocone structures that confirm their versatility as regards a broad range of quantum optical applications. We measure the first-order autocorrelation function to evaluate the coherence time of emitted photons, and the second-order correlation function, which reveals the strong suppression of multiple photon generation. The high indistinguishability of emitted photons is shown by the Hong-Ou-Mandel-typemore » two-photon interference. With quasi-resonant excitation, coherent population flopping is demonstrated through Rabi oscillations. Extremely high single-photon purity with a g{sup (2)}(0) value of 0.008 is achieved with π-pulse quasi-resonant excitation.« less

Measurement of Quantum Interference in a Silicon Ring Resonator Photon Source.

PubMed

Steidle, Jeffrey A; Fanto, Michael L; Preble, Stefan F; Tison, Christopher C; Howland, Gregory A; Wang, Zihao; Alsing, Paul M

2017-04-04

Silicon photonic chips have the potential to realize complex integrated quantum information processing circuits, including photon sources, qubit manipulation, and integrated single-photon detectors. Here, we present the key aspects of preparing and testing a silicon photonic quantum chip with an integrated photon source and two-photon interferometer. The most important aspect of an integrated quantum circuit is minimizing loss so that all of the generated photons are detected with the highest possible fidelity. Here, we describe how to perform low-loss edge coupling by using an ultra-high numerical aperture fiber to closely match the mode of the silicon waveguides. By using an optimized fusion splicing recipe, the UHNA fiber is seamlessly interfaced with a standard single-mode fiber. This low-loss coupling allows the measurement of high-fidelity photon production in an integrated silicon ring resonator and the subsequent two-photon interference of the produced photons in a closely integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This paper describes the essential procedures for the preparation and characterization of high-performance and scalable silicon quantum photonic circuits.

Accessing the Elastic Form-Factors of the $Delta(1232)$ Using the Beam-Normal Asymmetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalton, Mark M.

2016-08-01

The beam-normal single-spin asymmetry,more » $$B_n$$, exists in the scattering of high energy electrons, polarized transverse to their direction of motion, from nuclear targets. To first order, this asymmetry is caused by the interference of the one-photon exchange amplitude with the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange amplitude. Measurements of $$B_n$$, for the production of a $$\\Delta(1232)$$ resonance from a proton target, will soon become available from the Qweak experiment at Jefferson Lab and the A4 experiment at Mainz. The imaginary part of two-photon exchange allows only intermediate states that are on-shell, including the $$\\Delta$$ itself. Therefore such data is sensitive to $$\\gamma\\Delta\\Delta$$, the elastic form-factors of the $$\\Delta$$. This article will introduce the form-factors of the $$\\Delta$$, discuss what might be learned about the elastic form-factors from these new data, describe ongoing efforts in calculation and measurement, and outline the possibility of future measurements.« less

Quantum interference and complex photon statistics in waveguide QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xin H. H.; Baranger, Harold U.

2018-02-01

We obtain photon statistics by using a quantum jump approach tailored to a system in which one or two qubits are coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide. Photons confined in the waveguide have strong interference effects, which are shown to play a vital role in quantum jumps and photon statistics. For a single qubit, for instance, the bunching of transmitted photons is heralded by a jump that increases the qubit population. We show that the distribution and correlations of waiting times offer a clearer and more precise characterization of photon bunching and antibunching. Further, the waiting times can be used to characterize complex correlations of photons which are hidden in g(2 )(τ ) , such as a mixture of bunching and antibunching.

Towards photonic quantum simulation of ground states of frustrated Heisenberg spin systems

PubMed Central

Ma, Xiao-song; Dakić, Borivoje; Kropatschek, Sebastian; Naylor, William; Chan, Yang-hao; Gong, Zhe-xuan; Duan, Lu-ming; Zeilinger, Anton; Walther, Philip

2014-01-01

Photonic quantum simulators are promising candidates for providing insight into other small- to medium-sized quantum systems. Recent experiments have shown that photonic quantum systems have the advantage to exploit quantum interference for the quantum simulation of the ground state of Heisenberg spin systems. Here we experimentally characterize this quantum interference at a tuneable beam splitter and further investigate the measurement-induced interactions of a simulated four-spin system by comparing the entanglement dynamics using pairwise concurrence. We also study theoretically a four-site square lattice with next-nearest neighbor interactions and a six-site checkerboard lattice, which might be in reach of current technology. PMID:24394808

Highly efficient entanglement swapping and teleportation at telecom wavelength

PubMed Central

Jin, Rui-Bo; Takeoka, Masahiro; Takagi, Utako; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Sasaki, Masahide

2015-01-01

Entanglement swapping at telecom wavelengths is at the heart of quantum networking in optical fiber infrastructures. Although entanglement swapping has been demonstrated experimentally so far using various types of entangled photon sources both in near-infrared and telecom wavelength regions, the rate of swapping operation has been too low to be applied to practical quantum protocols, due to limited efficiency of entangled photon sources and photon detectors. Here we demonstrate drastic improvement of the efficiency at telecom wavelength by using two ultra-bright entangled photon sources and four highly efficient superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. We have attained a four-fold coincidence count rate of 108 counts per second, which is three orders higher than the previous experiments at telecom wavelengths. A raw (net) visibility in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between the two independent entangled sources was 73.3 ± 1.0% (85.1 ± 0.8%). We performed the teleportation and entanglement swapping, and obtained a fidelity of 76.3% in the swapping test. Our results on the coincidence count rates are comparable with the ones ever recorded in teleportation/swapping and multi-photon entanglement generation experiments at around 800 nm wavelengths. Our setup opens the way to practical implementation of device-independent quantum key distribution and its distance extension by the entanglement swapping as well as multi-photon entangled state generation in telecom band infrastructures with both space and fiber links. PMID:25791212

Highly efficient entanglement swapping and teleportation at telecom wavelength.

PubMed

Jin, Rui-Bo; Takeoka, Masahiro; Takagi, Utako; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Sasaki, Masahide

2015-03-20

Entanglement swapping at telecom wavelengths is at the heart of quantum networking in optical fiber infrastructures. Although entanglement swapping has been demonstrated experimentally so far using various types of entangled photon sources both in near-infrared and telecom wavelength regions, the rate of swapping operation has been too low to be applied to practical quantum protocols, due to limited efficiency of entangled photon sources and photon detectors. Here we demonstrate drastic improvement of the efficiency at telecom wavelength by using two ultra-bright entangled photon sources and four highly efficient superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. We have attained a four-fold coincidence count rate of 108 counts per second, which is three orders higher than the previous experiments at telecom wavelengths. A raw (net) visibility in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between the two independent entangled sources was 73.3 ± 1.0% (85.1 ± 0.8%). We performed the teleportation and entanglement swapping, and obtained a fidelity of 76.3% in the swapping test. Our results on the coincidence count rates are comparable with the ones ever recorded in teleportation/swapping and multi-photon entanglement generation experiments at around 800 nm wavelengths. Our setup opens the way to practical implementation of device-independent quantum key distribution and its distance extension by the entanglement swapping as well as multi-photon entangled state generation in telecom band infrastructures with both space and fiber links.

Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits

PubMed Central

Yu, Leo; Natarajan, Chandra M.; Horikiri, Tomoyuki; Langrock, Carsten; Pelc, Jason S.; Tanner, Michael G.; Abe, Eisuke; Maier, Sebastian; Schneider, Christian; Höfling, Sven; Kamp, Martin; Hadfield, Robert H.; Fejer, Martin M.; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

2015-01-01

Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances. PMID:26597223

Interference in acetylene intersystem crossing acts as the molecular analog of Young's double-slit experiment

PubMed Central

de Groot, Mattijs; Field, Robert W.; Buma, Wybren J.

2009-01-01

We report on an experimental approach that reveals crucial details of the composition of singlet-triplet mixed eigenstates in acetylene. Intersystem crossing in this prototypical polyatomic molecule embodies the mixing of the lowest excited singlet state (S1) with 3 triplet states (T1, T2, and T3). Using high-energy (157-nm) photons from an F2 laser to record excited-state photoelectron spectra, we have decomposed the mixed eigenstates into their S1, T3, T2, and T1 constituent parts. One example of the interpretive power that ensues from the selective sensitivity of the experiment to the individual electronic state characters is the discovery and examination of destructive interference between two doorway-mediated intersystem crossing pathways. This observation of an interference effect in nonradiative decay opens up possibilities for rational coherent control over molecular excited state dynamics. PMID:19179288

Complete chirp analysis of a gain-switched pulse using an interferometric two-photon absorption autocorrelation.

PubMed

Chin, Sang Hoon; Kim, Young Jae; Song, Ho Seong; Kim, Dug Young

2006-10-10

We propose a simple but powerful scheme for the complete analysis of the frequency chirp of a gain-switched optical pulse using a fringe-resolved interferometric two-photon absorption autocorrelator. A frequency chirp imposed on the gain-switched pulse from a laser diode was retrieved from both the intensity autocorrelation trace and the envelope of the second-harmonic interference fringe pattern. To verify the accuracy of the proposed phase retrieval method, we have performed an optical pulse compression experiment by using dispersion-compensating fibers with different lengths. We have obtained close agreement by less than a 1% error between the compressed pulse widths and numerically calculated pulse widths.

Interferometric imaging using Si3N4 photonic integrated circuits for a SPIDER imager.

PubMed

Su, Tiehui; Liu, Guangyao; Badham, Katherine E; Thurman, Samuel T; Kendrick, Richard L; Duncan, Alan; Wuchenich, Danielle; Ogden, Chad; Chriqui, Guy; Feng, Shaoqi; Chun, Jaeyi; Lai, Weicheng; Yoo, S J B

2018-05-14

This paper reports design, fabrication, and experimental demonstration of a silicon nitride photonic integrated circuit (PIC). The PIC is capable of conducting one-dimensional interferometric imaging with twelve baselines near λ = 1100-1600 nm. The PIC consists of twelve waveguide pairs, each leading to a multi-mode interferometer (MMI) that forms broadband interference fringes or each corresponding pair of the waveguides. Then an 18 channel arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) separates the combined signal into 18 signals of different wavelengths. A total of 103 sets of fringes are collected by the detector array at the output of the PIC. We keep the optical path difference (OPD) of each interferometer baseline to within 1 µm to maximize the visibility of the interference measurement. We also constructed a testbed to utilize the PIC for two-dimension complex visibility measurement with various targets. The experiment shows reconstructed images in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Efficient Classical Algorithm for Boson Sampling with Partially Distinguishable Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renema, J. J.; Menssen, A.; Clements, W. R.; Triginer, G.; Kolthammer, W. S.; Walmsley, I. A.

2018-06-01

We demonstrate how boson sampling with photons of partial distinguishability can be expressed in terms of interference of fewer photons. We use this observation to propose a classical algorithm to simulate the output of a boson sampler fed with photons of partial distinguishability. We find conditions for which this algorithm is efficient, which gives a lower limit on the required indistinguishability to demonstrate a quantum advantage. Under these conditions, adding more photons only polynomially increases the computational cost to simulate a boson sampling experiment.

The second-order interference of two independent single-mode He-Ne lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jianbin; Le, Mingnan; Bai, Bin; Wang, Wentao; Chen, Hui; Zhou, Yu; Li, Fu-li; Xu, Zhuo

2015-09-01

The second-order spatial and temporal interference patterns with two independent single-mode continuous-wave He-Ne lasers are observed when these two lasers are incident to two adjacent input ports of a 1:1 non-polarizing beam splitter, respectively. Two-photon interference based on the superposition principle in Feynman's path integral theory is employed to interpret the experimental results. The conditions to observe the second-order interference pattern with two independent single-mode continuous-wave lasers are discussed. It is concluded that frequency stability is important to observe the second-order interference pattern with two independent light beams.

Quantum private query based on single-photon interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Sheng-Wei; Sun, Ying; Lin, Song

2016-08-01

Quantum private query (QPQ) has become a research hotspot recently. Specially, the quantum key distribution (QKD)-based QPQ attracts lots of attention because of its practicality. Various such kind of QPQ protocols have been proposed based on different technologies of quantum communications. Single-photon interference is one of such technologies, on which the famous QKD protocol GV95 is just based. In this paper, we propose two QPQ protocols based on single-photon interference. The first one is simpler and easier to realize, and the second one is loss tolerant and flexible, and more practical than the first one. Furthermore, we analyze both the user privacy and the database privacy in the proposed protocols.

A fast and high-sensitive dual-wavelength diffuse optical tomography system using digital lock-in photon-counting technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Weiting; Yi, Xi; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2014-09-01

We presented a novel dual-wavelength diffuse optical imaging system which can perform 2-D or 3-D imaging fast and high-sensitively for monitoring the dynamic change of optical parameters. A newly proposed lock-in photon-counting detection method was adopted for week optical signal collection, which brought in excellent property as well as simplified geometry. Fundamental principles of the lock-in photon-counting detection were elaborately demonstrated, and the feasibility was strictly verified by the linearity experiment. Systemic performance of the prototype set up was experimentally accessed, including stray light rejection and inherent interference. Results showed that the system possessed superior anti-interference capability (under 0.58% in darkroom) compared with traditional photon-counting detection, and the crosstalk between two wavelengths was lower than 2.28%. For comprehensive assessment, 2-D phantom experiments towards relatively large dimension model (diameter of 4cm) were conducted. Different absorption targets were imaged to investigate detection sensitivity. Reconstruction image under all conditions was exciting, with a desirable SNR. Study on image quality v.s. integration time put forward a new method for accessing higher SNR with the sacrifice of measuring speed. In summary, the newly developed system showed great potential in promoting detection sensitivity as well as measuring speed. This will make substantial progress in dynamically tracking the blood concentration distribution in many clinical areas, such as small animal disease modeling, human brain activity research and thick tissues (for example, breast) diagnosis.

Experimental statistical signature of many-body quantum interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordani, Taira; Flamini, Fulvio; Pompili, Matteo; Viggianiello, Niko; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Crespi, Andrea; Osellame, Roberto; Wiebe, Nathan; Walschaers, Mattia; Buchleitner, Andreas; Sciarrino, Fabio

2018-03-01

Multi-particle interference is an essential ingredient for fundamental quantum mechanics phenomena and for quantum information processing to provide a computational advantage, as recently emphasized by boson sampling experiments. Hence, developing a reliable and efficient technique to witness its presence is pivotal in achieving the practical implementation of quantum technologies. Here, we experimentally identify genuine many-body quantum interference via a recent efficient protocol, which exploits statistical signatures at the output of a multimode quantum device. We successfully apply the test to validate three-photon experiments in an integrated photonic circuit, providing an extensive analysis on the resources required to perform it. Moreover, drawing upon established techniques of machine learning, we show how such tools help to identify the—a priori unknown—optimal features to witness these signatures. Our results provide evidence on the efficacy and feasibility of the method, paving the way for its adoption in large-scale implementations.

Generation of heralded entanglement between distant quantum dot hole spins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delteil, Aymeric

Entanglement plays a central role in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics as well as in the burgeoning field of quantum information processing. Particularly in the context of quantum networks and communication, some of the major challenges are the efficient generation of entanglement between stationary (spin) and propagating (photon) qubits, the transfer of information from flying to stationary qubits, and the efficient generation of entanglement between distant stationary (spin) qubits. In this talk, I will present such experimental implementations achieved in our team with semiconductor self-assembled quantum dots.Not only are self-assembled quantum dots good single-photon emitters, but they can host an electron or a hole whose spin serves as a quantum memory, and then present spin-dependent optical selection rules leading to an efficient spin-photon quantum interface. Moreover InGaAs quantum dots grown on GaAs substrate can profit from the maturity of III-V semiconductor technology and can be embedded in semiconductor structures like photonic cavities and Schottky diodes.I will report on the realization of heralded quantum entanglement between two semiconductor quantum dot hole spins separated by more than five meters. The entanglement generation scheme relies on single photon interference of Raman scattered light from both dots. A single photon detection projects the system into a maximally entangled state. We developed a delayed two-photon interference scheme that allows for efficient verification of quantum correlations. Moreover the efficient spin-photon interface provided by self-assembled quantum dots allows us to reach an unprecedented rate of 2300 entangled spin pairs per second, which represents an improvement of four orders of magnitude as compared to prior experiments carried out in other systems.Our results extend previous demonstrations in single trapped ions or neutral atoms, in atom ensembles and nitrogen vacancy centers to the domain of artificial atoms in semiconductor nanostructures that allow for on-chip integration of electronic and photonic elements. This work lays the groundwork for the realization of quantum repeaters and quantum networks on a chip.

Single-photon superradiant beating from a Doppler-broadened ladder-type atomic ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yoon-Seok; Lee, Sang Min; Kim, Heonoh; Moon, Han Seb

2017-12-01

We report on heralded-single-photon superradiant beating in the spontaneous four-wave mixing process of Doppler-broadened ladder-type 87Rb atoms. When Doppler-broadened atoms contribute to two-photon coherence, the detection probability amplitudes of the heralded single photons are coherently superposed despite inhomogeneous broadened atomic media. Single-photon superradiant beating is observed, which constitutes evidence for the coherent superposition of two-photon amplitudes from different velocity classes in the Doppler-broadened atomic ensemble. We present a theoretical model in which the single-photon superradiant beating originates from the interference between wavelength-separated two-photon amplitudes via the reabsorption filtering effect.

Partial hyperbolicity and attracting regions in 3-dimensional manifolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potrie, Rafael

The need for reliable, fiber-based sources of entangled and paired photons has intensified in recent years because of potential uses in optical quantum communication and computing. In particular, indistinguishable photon sources are an inherent part of several quantum communication protocols and are needed to establish the viability of quantum communication networks. This thesis is centered around the development of such sources at telecommunication-band wavelengths. In this thesis, we describe experiments on entangled photon generation and the creation of quantum logic gates in the C-band, and on photon indistinguishability in the O-band. These experiments utilize the four-wave mixing process in fiber which occurs as a result of the Kerr nonlinearity, to create paired photons. To begin, we report the development of a source of 1550-nm polarization entangled photons in fiber. We then interface this source with a quantum Controlled-NOT gate, which is a universal quantum logic gate. We set experimental bounds on the process fidelity of the Controlled-NOT gate. Next, we report a demonstration of quantum interference between 1310-nm photons produced in independent sources. We demonstrate high quantum interference visibility, a signature of quantum indistinguishability, while using distinguishable pump photons. Together, these efforts constitute preliminary steps toward establishing the viability of fiber-based quantum communication, which will allow us to utilize existing infrastructure for implementing quantum communication protocols.

Multiple emitters in a waveguide: Nonreciprocity and correlated photons at perfect elastic transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Yao-Lung L.; Baranger, Harold U.

2017-07-01

We investigate interference and correlation effects when several detuned emitters are placed along a one-dimensional photonic waveguide. Such a setup allows multiple interactions between the photons and the strongly coupled emitters, and underlies proposed devices for quantum information processing. We show, first, that a pair of detuned two-level systems (2LS) separated by a half wavelength mimic a driven Λ -type three-level system (3LS) in both the single- and two-photon sectors. There is an interference-induced transparency peak at which the fluorescence is quenched, leaving the transmitted photons completely uncorrelated. Slightly away from this separation, we find that the inelastic scattering (fluorescence) is large, leading to nonlinear effects such as nonreciprocity (rectification). We connect this nonreciprocity to inelastic scattering caused by driving a dark pole and so derive a condition for maximum rectification. Finally, by placing a true 3LS midway between the two 2LS, we show that elastic scattering produces only transmission, but inelastic scattering nevertheless occurs (the fluorescence is not quenched) causing substantial photon correlations.

Reference-Frame-Independent and Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Using One Single Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qian; Zhu, Changhua; Ma, Shuquan; Wei, Kejin; Pei, Changxing

2018-04-01

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) is immune to all detector side-channel attacks. However, practical implementations of MDI-QKD, which require two-photon interferences from separated independent single-photon sources and a nontrivial reference alignment procedure, are still challenging with current technologies. Here, we propose a scheme that significantly reduces the experimental complexity of two-photon interferences and eliminates reference frame alignment by the combination of plug-and-play and reference frame independent MDI-QKD. Simulation results show that the secure communication distance can be up to 219 km in the finite-data case and the scheme has good potential for practical MDI-QKD systems.

Gain suppression involving both stimulated Raman and hyper-Raman photons in two-step stimulated emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Lu; Garrett, W. R.; Payne, M. G.; Moore, M. A.

1997-05-01

We show that multiphoton destructive interference leading to gain suppression can be produced even when two different step-wise stimulated emissions, such as stimulated Raman and hyper-Raman emissions, are included in the interference loop.

Measurement-Based Entanglement of Noninteracting Bosonic Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lester, Brian J.; Lin, Yiheng; Brown, Mark O.; Kaufman, Adam M.; Ball, Randall J.; Knill, Emanuel; Rey, Ana M.; Regal, Cindy A.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate the ability to extract a spin-entangled state of two neutral atoms via postselection based on a measurement of their spatial configuration. Typically, entangled states of neutral atoms are engineered via atom-atom interactions. In contrast, in our Letter, we use Hong-Ou-Mandel interference to postselect a spin-singlet state after overlapping two atoms in distinct spin states on an effective beam splitter. We verify the presence of entanglement and determine a bound on the postselected fidelity of a spin-singlet state of (0.62 ±0.03 ). The experiment has direct analogy to creating polarization entanglement with single photons and hence demonstrates the potential to use protocols developed for photons to create complex quantum states with noninteracting atoms.

Measurement-Based Entanglement of Noninteracting Bosonic Atoms.

PubMed

Lester, Brian J; Lin, Yiheng; Brown, Mark O; Kaufman, Adam M; Ball, Randall J; Knill, Emanuel; Rey, Ana M; Regal, Cindy A

2018-05-11

We demonstrate the ability to extract a spin-entangled state of two neutral atoms via postselection based on a measurement of their spatial configuration. Typically, entangled states of neutral atoms are engineered via atom-atom interactions. In contrast, in our Letter, we use Hong-Ou-Mandel interference to postselect a spin-singlet state after overlapping two atoms in distinct spin states on an effective beam splitter. We verify the presence of entanglement and determine a bound on the postselected fidelity of a spin-singlet state of (0.62±0.03). The experiment has direct analogy to creating polarization entanglement with single photons and hence demonstrates the potential to use protocols developed for photons to create complex quantum states with noninteracting atoms.

Classical-to-Quantum Transition with Broadband Four-Wave Mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vered, Rafi Z.; Shaked, Yaakov; Ben-Or, Yelena; Rosenbluh, Michael; Pe'er, Avi

2015-02-01

A key question of quantum optics is how nonclassical biphoton correlations at low power evolve into classical coherence at high power. Direct observation of the crossover from quantum to classical behavior is desirable, but difficult due to the lack of adequate experimental techniques that cover the ultrawide dynamic range in photon flux from the single photon regime to the classical level. We investigate biphoton correlations within the spectrum of light generated by broadband four-wave mixing over a large dynamic range of ˜80 dB in photon flux across the classical-to-quantum transition using a two-photon interference effect that distinguishes between classical and quantum behavior. We explore the quantum-classical nature of the light by observing the interference contrast dependence on internal loss and demonstrate quantum collapse and revival of the interference when the four-wave mixing gain in the fiber becomes imaginary.

Quantum interference in plasmonic circuits.

PubMed

Heeres, Reinier W; Kouwenhoven, Leo P; Zwiller, Valery

2013-10-01

Surface plasmon polaritons (plasmons) are a combination of light and a collective oscillation of the free electron plasma at metal/dielectric interfaces. This interaction allows subwavelength confinement of light beyond the diffraction limit inherent to dielectric structures. As a result, the intensity of the electromagnetic field is enhanced, with the possibility to increase the strength of the optical interactions between waveguides, light sources and detectors. Plasmons maintain non-classical photon statistics and preserve entanglement upon transmission through thin, patterned metallic films or weakly confining waveguides. For quantum applications, it is essential that plasmons behave as indistinguishable quantum particles. Here we report on a quantum interference experiment in a nanoscale plasmonic circuit consisting of an on-chip plasmon beamsplitter with integrated superconducting single-photon detectors to allow efficient single plasmon detection. We demonstrate a quantum-mechanical interaction between pairs of indistinguishable surface plasmons by observing Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference, a hallmark non-classical interference effect that is the basis of linear optics-based quantum computation. Our work shows that it is feasible to shrink quantum optical experiments to the nanoscale and offers a promising route towards subwavelength quantum optical networks.

Probing CP violation in $$h\\rightarrow\\gamma\\gamma$$ with converted photons

DOE PAGES

Bishara, Fady; Grossman, Yuval; Harnik, Roni; ...

2014-04-11

We study Higgs diphoton decays, in which both photons undergo nuclear conversion to electron- positron pairs. The kinematic distribution of the two electron-positron pairs may be used to probe the CP violating (CPV) coupling of the Higgs to photons, that may be produced by new physics. Detecting CPV in this manner requires interference between the spin-polarized helicity amplitudes for both conversions. We derive leading order, analytic forms for these amplitudes. In turn, we obtain compact, leading-order expressions for the full process rate. While performing experiments involving photon conversions may be challenging, we use the results of our analysis to constructmore » experimental cuts on certain observables that may enhance sensitivity to CPV. We show that there exist regions of phase space on which sensitivity to CPV is of order unity. As a result, the statistical sensitivity of these cuts are verified numerically, using dedicated Monte-Carlo simulations.« less

Experimental implementation of a nonlinear beamsplitter based on a phase-sensitive parametric amplifier

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, Yami; Feng, Jingliang; Cao, Leiming

2016-03-28

Beamsplitters have played an important role in quantum optics experiments. They are often used to split and combine two beams, especially in the construct of an interferometer. In this letter, we experimentally implement a nonlinear beamsplitter using a phase-sensitive parametric amplifier, which is based on four-wave mixing in hot rubidium vapor. Here we show that, despite the different frequencies of the two input beams, the output ports of the nonlinear beamsplitter exhibit interference phenomena. We make measurements of the interference fringe visibility and study how various parameters, such as the intensity gain of the amplifier, the intensity ratio of themore » two input beams, and the one and two photon detunings, affect the behavior of the nonlinear beamsplitter. It may find potential applications in quantum metrology and quantum information processing.« less

Frequency-bin entanglement of ultra-narrow band non-degenerate photon pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rieländer, Daniel; Lenhard, Andreas; Jime`nez Farìas, Osvaldo; Máttar, Alejandro; Cavalcanti, Daniel; Mazzera, Margherita; Acín, Antonio; de Riedmatten, Hugues

2018-01-01

We demonstrate frequency-bin entanglement between ultra-narrowband photons generated by cavity enhanced spontaneous parametric down conversion. Our source generates photon pairs in widely non-degenerate discrete frequency modes, with one photon resonant with a quantum memory material based on praseodymium doped crystals and the other photon at telecom wavelengths. Correlations between the frequency modes are analyzed using phase modulators and narrowband filters before detection. We show high-visibility two photon interference between the frequency modes, allowing us to infer a coherent superposition of the modes. We develop a model describing the state that we create and use it to estimate optimal measurements to achieve a violation of the Clauser-Horne (CH) Bell inequality under realistic assumptions. With these settings we perform a Bell test and show a significant violation of the CH inequality, thus proving the entanglement of the photons. Finally we demonstrate the compatibility with a quantum memory material by using a spectral hole in the praseodymium (Pr) doped crystal as spectral filter for measuring high-visibility two-photon interference. This demonstrates the feasibility of combining frequency-bin entangled photon pairs with Pr-based solid state quantum memories.

Classical analogues of two-photon quantum interference.

PubMed

Kaltenbaek, R; Lavoie, J; Resch, K J

2009-06-19

Chirped-pulse interferometry (CPI) captures the metrological advantages of quantum Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometry in a completely classical system. Modified HOM interferometers are the basis for a number of seminal quantum-interference effects. Here, the corresponding modifications to CPI allow for the first observation of classical analogues to the HOM peak and quantum beating. They also allow a new classical technique for generating phase super-resolution exhibiting a coherence length dramatically longer than that of the laser light, analogous to increased two-photon coherence lengths in entangled states.

Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer with cavities: Theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Olindo, C.; Sagioro, M. A.; Monken, C. H.

2006-04-15

We study the number of coincidences in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer exit whose arms have been supplemented with the addition of one or two optical cavities. The fourth-order correlation function at the beam splitter exit is calculated. In the regime where the cavities lengths are larger than the one-photon coherence length, photon coalescence and anticoalescence interference is observed. Feynman's path diagrams for the indistinguishable processes that lead to quantum interference are presented. The construction of an optical XOR gate is discussed as an application for the Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer with two cavities.

Effectiveness of interactive tutorials in promoting "which-path" information reasoning in advanced quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maries, Alexandru; Sayer, Ryan; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-12-01

Research suggests that introductory physics students often have difficulty using a concept in contexts different from the ones in which they learned it without explicit guidance to help them make the connection between the different contexts. We have been investigating advanced students' learning of quantum mechanics concepts and have developed interactive tutorials which strive to help students learn these concepts. Two such tutorials, focused on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and the double-slit experiment (DSE), help students learn how to use the concept of "which-path" information to reason about the presence or absence of interference in these two experiments in different situations. After working on a pretest that asked students to predict interference in the MZI with single photons and polarizers of various orientations placed in one or both paths of the MZI, students worked on the MZI tutorial which, among other things, guided them to reason in terms of which-path information in order to predict interference in similar situations. We investigated the extent to which students were able to use reasoning related to which-path information learned in the MZI tutorial to answer analogous questions on the DSE (before working on the DSE tutorial). After students worked on the DSE pretest they worked on a DSE tutorial in which they learned to use the concept of which-path information to answer questions about interference in the DSE with single particles with mass sent through the two slits and a monochromatic lamp placed between the slits and the screen. We investigated if this additional exposure to the concept of which-path information promoted improved learning and performance on the DSE questions with single photons and polarizers placed after one or both slits. We find evidence that both tutorials promoted which-path information reasoning and helped students use this reasoning appropriately in contexts different from the ones in which they had learned it.

Interferometric weak measurement of photon polarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iinuma, Masataka; Suzuki, Yutaro; Taguchi, Gen; Kadoya, Yutaka; Hofmann, Holger F.

2011-10-01

We realize a minimum back-action quantum non-demolition measurement of variable strength on photon polarization in the diagonal(PM) basis by two-mode path interference. This method uses the phase difference between the positive (P) and negative (M) superpositions in the interference between the horizontal (H) and vertical (V) polarized paths in the input beam. Although the interference can not occur when the H and V polarizations are distinguishable, a well-controlled amount of interference is induced by erasing the H and V information using a coherent rotation of polarization toward a common diagonal polarization. This method is particularly suitable for the realization of weak measurements, where the control of the back-action is essential.

Tunable quantum interference in a 3D integrated circuit.

PubMed

Chaboyer, Zachary; Meany, Thomas; Helt, L G; Withford, Michael J; Steel, M J

2015-04-27

Integrated photonics promises solutions to questions of stability, complexity, and size in quantum optics. Advances in tunable and non-planar integrated platforms, such as laser-inscribed photonics, continue to bring the realisation of quantum advantages in computation and metrology ever closer, perhaps most easily seen in multi-path interferometry. Here we demonstrate control of two-photon interference in a chip-scale 3D multi-path interferometer, showing a reduced periodicity and enhanced visibility compared to single photon measurements. Observed non-classical visibilities are widely tunable, and explained well by theoretical predictions based on classical measurements. With these predictions we extract Fisher information approaching a theoretical maximum. Our results open a path to quantum enhanced phase measurements.

Entangled-Pair Transmission Improvement Using Distributed Phase-Sensitive Amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Anjali; Dailey, James M.; Toliver, Paul; Peters, Nicholas A.

2014-10-01

We demonstrate the transmission of time-bin entangled photon pairs through a distributed optical phase-sensitive amplifier (OPSA). We utilize four-wave mixing at telecom wavelengths in a 5-km dispersion-shifted fiber OPSA operating in the low-gain limit. Measurements of two-photon interference curves show no statistically significant degradation in the fringe visibility at the output of the OPSA. In addition, coincidence counting rates are higher than direct passive transmission because of constructive interference between amplitudes of input photon pairs and those generated in the OPSA. Our results suggest that application of distributed phase-sensitive amplification to transmission of entangled photon pairs could be highly beneficial towards advancing the rate and scalability of future quantum communications systems.

Experimental solution for scattered imaging of the interference of plasmonic and photonic mode waves launched by metal nano-slits.

PubMed

Li, Xing; Gao, Yaru; Jiang, Shuna; Ma, Li; Liu, Chunxiang; Cheng, Chuanfu

2015-02-09

Using an L-shaped metal nanoslit to generate waves of the pure photonic and plasmonic modes simultaneously, we perform an experimental solution for the scattered imaging of the interference of the two waves. From the fringe data of interference, the amplitudes and the wavevector components of the two waves are obtained. The initial phases of the two waves are obtained from the phase map reconstructed with the interference of the scattered image and the reference wave in the interferometer. The difference in the wavevector components gives rise to an additional phase delay. We introduce the scattering theory under Kirchhoff's approximation to metal slit regime and explain the wavevector difference reasonably. The solution of the quantities is a comprehensive reflection of excitation, scattering and interference of the two waves. By decomposing the polarized incident field with respect to the slit element, the scattered image produced by slit of arbitrary shape can be solved with the nanoscale Huygens-Fresnel principle. This is demonstrated by the experimental intensity pattern and phase map produced by a ring-slit and its consistency with the calculated results.

Demonstration of quantum synchronization based on second-order quantum coherence of entangled photons

PubMed Central

Quan, Runai; Zhai, Yiwei; Wang, Mengmeng; Hou, Feiyan; Wang, Shaofeng; Xiang, Xiao; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Shougang; Dong, Ruifang

2016-01-01

Based on the second-order quantum interference between frequency entangled photons that are generated by parametric down conversion, a quantum strategic algorithm for synchronizing two spatially separated clocks has been recently presented. In the reference frame of a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer, photon correlations are used to define simultaneous events. Once the HOM interferometer is balanced by use of an adjustable optical delay in one arm, arrival times of simulta- neously generated photons are recorded by each clock. The clock offset is determined by correlation measurement of the recorded arrival times. Utilizing this algorithm, we demonstrate a proof-of-principle experiment for synchronizing two clocks separated by 4 km fiber link. A minimum timing stability of 0.44 ps at averaging time of 16000 s is achieved with an absolute time accuracy of 73.2 ps. The timing stability is verified to be limited by the correlation measurement device and ideally can be better than 10 fs. Such results shine a light to the application of quantum clock synchronization in the real high-accuracy timing system. PMID:27452276

Matter-wave diffraction approaching limits predicted by Feynman path integrals for multipath interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnea, A. Ronny; Cheshnovsky, Ori; Even, Uzi

2018-02-01

Interference experiments have been paramount in our understanding of quantum mechanics and are frequently the basis of testing the superposition principle in the framework of quantum theory. In recent years, several studies have challenged the nature of wave-function interference from the perspective of Born's rule—namely, the manifestation of so-called high-order interference terms in a superposition generated by diffraction of the wave functions. Here we present an experimental test of multipath interference in the diffraction of metastable helium atoms, with large-number counting statistics, comparable to photon-based experiments. We use a variation of the original triple-slit experiment and accurate single-event counting techniques to provide a new experimental bound of 2.9 ×10-5 on the statistical deviation from the commonly approximated null third-order interference term in Born's rule for matter waves. Our value is on the order of the maximal contribution predicted for multipath trajectories by Feynman path integrals.

Lithography system using quantum entangled photons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Colin (Inventor); Dowling, Jonathan (Inventor); della Rossa, Giovanni (Inventor)

2002-01-01

A system of etching using quantum entangled particles to get shorter interference fringes. An interferometer is used to obtain an interference fringe. N entangled photons are input to the interferometer. This reduces the distance between interference fringes by n, where again n is the number of entangled photons.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement of Narrow-Band Photons from Cold Atoms.

PubMed

Lee, Jong-Chan; Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Zhao, Tian-Ming; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-12-16

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement introduced in 1935 deals with two particles that are entangled in their positions and momenta. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of EPR position-momentum entanglement of narrow-band photon pairs generated from cold atoms. By using two-photon quantum ghost imaging and ghost interference, we demonstrate explicitly that the narrow-band photon pairs violate the separability criterion, confirming EPR entanglement. We further demonstrate continuous variable EPR steering for positions and momenta of the two photons. Our new source of EPR-entangled narrow-band photons is expected to play an essential role in spatially multiplexed quantum information processing, such as, storage of quantum correlated images, quantum interface involving hyperentangled photons, etc.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement of Narrow-Band Photons from Cold Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong-Chan; Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Zhao, Tian-Ming; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-12-01

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement introduced in 1935 deals with two particles that are entangled in their positions and momenta. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of EPR position-momentum entanglement of narrow-band photon pairs generated from cold atoms. By using two-photon quantum ghost imaging and ghost interference, we demonstrate explicitly that the narrow-band photon pairs violate the separability criterion, confirming EPR entanglement. We further demonstrate continuous variable EPR steering for positions and momenta of the two photons. Our new source of EPR-entangled narrow-band photons is expected to play an essential role in spatially multiplexed quantum information processing, such as, storage of quantum correlated images, quantum interface involving hyperentangled photons, etc.

Detection of carbon monoxide (CO) in sooting hydrocarbon flames using femtosecond two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (fs-TPLIF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yejun; Kulatilaka, Waruna D.

2018-01-01

Ultrashort-pulse, femtosecond (fs)-duration, two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (fs-TPLIF) measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) are reported in rich, sooting hydrocarbon flames. CO-TPLIF detection using conventional nanosecond or picosecond lasers are often plagued by photochemical interferences, specifically under fuel-rich flames conditions. In the current study, we investigate the commonly used CO two-photon excitation scheme of the B1Σ+ ← X1Σ+ electronic transition, using approximately 100-fs-duration excitation pulses. Fluorescence emission was observed in the Ångström band originating from directly populated B1Σ+ upper state, as well as, in the third positive band from collisionally populated b3Σ+ upper state. The current work was focused on the Ångström band emission. Interference from nascent C2 emissions originating from hot soot particles in the flame could be reduced to a negligible level using a narrower detection gate width. In contrast, avoiding interferences from laser-generated C2 Swan-band emissions required specific narrowband spectral filtering in sooting flame conditions. The observed less than quadratic laser pulse energy dependence of the TPLIF signal suggests the presence of strong three-photon ionization and stimulated emission processes. In a range of CH4/air and C2H4/air premixed flames investigated, the measured CO fluorescence signals agree well with the calculated equilibrium CO number densities. Reduced-interference CO-TPLIF imaging in premixed C2H4/O2/N2 jet flames is also reported.

Interference with a quantum dot single-photon source and a laser at telecom wavelength

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Felle, M.; Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FA; Huwer, J., E-mail: jan.huwer@crl.toshiba.co.uk

The interference of photons emitted by dissimilar sources is an essential requirement for a wide range of photonic quantum information applications. Many of these applications are in quantum communications and need to operate at standard telecommunication wavelengths to minimize the impact of photon losses and be compatible with existing infrastructure. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the quantum interference of telecom-wavelength photons from an InAs/GaAs quantum dot single-photon source and a laser; an important step towards such applications. The results are in good agreement with a theoretical model, indicating a high degree of indistinguishability for the interfering photons.

Two-Photon Probes for Lysosomes and Mitochondria: Simultaneous Detection of Lysosomes and Mitochondria in Live Tissues by Dual-Color Two-Photon Microscopy Imaging.

PubMed

Lim, Chang Su; Hong, Seung Taek; Ryu, Seong Shick; Kang, Dong Eun; Cho, Bong Rae

2015-10-01

Novel two-photon (TP) probes were developed for lysosomes (PLT-yellow) and mitochondria (BMT-blue and PMT-yellow). These probes emitted strong TP-excited fluorescence in cells at widely separated wavelength regions and displayed high organelle selectivity, good cell permeability, low cytotoxicity, and pH insensitivity. The BMT-blue and PLT-yellow probes could be utilized to detect lysosomes and mitochondria simultaneously in live tissues by using dual-color two-photon microscopy, with minimum interference from each other. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrated spatial multiplexing of heralded single-photon sources

PubMed Central

Collins, M.J.; Xiong, C.; Rey, I.H.; Vo, T.D.; He, J.; Shahnia, S.; Reardon, C.; Krauss, T.F.; Steel, M.J.; Clark, A.S.; Eggleton, B.J.

2013-01-01

The non-deterministic nature of photon sources is a key limitation for single-photon quantum processors. Spatial multiplexing overcomes this by enhancing the heralded single-photon yield without enhancing the output noise. Here the intrinsic statistical limit of an individual source is surpassed by spatially multiplexing two monolithic silicon-based correlated photon pair sources in the telecommunications band, demonstrating a 62.4% increase in the heralded single-photon output without an increase in unwanted multipair generation. We further demonstrate the scalability of this scheme by multiplexing photons generated in two waveguides pumped via an integrated coupler with a 63.1% increase in the heralded photon rate. This demonstration paves the way for a scalable architecture for multiplexing many photon sources in a compact integrated platform and achieving efficient two-photon interference, required at the core of optical quantum computing and quantum communication protocols. PMID:24107840

Millimeter-wave signal generation for a wireless transmission system based on on-chip photonic integrated circuit structures.

PubMed

Guzmán, R; Carpintero, G; Gordon, C; Orbe, L

2016-10-15

We demonstrate and compare two different photonic-based signal sources for generating the carrier wave in a wireless communication link operating in the millimeter-wave range. The first signal source uses the optical heterodyne technique to generate a 113 GHz carrier wave frequency, while the second employs a different technique based on a pulsed mode-locked source with 100 GHz repetition rate frequency. The two optical sources were fabricated in a multi-project wafer run from an active/passive generic integration platform process using standardized building blocks, including multimode interference reflectors which allow us to define the structures on chip, without the need for cleaved facet mirrors. We highlight the superior performance of the mode-locked sources over an optical heterodyne technique. Error-free transmission was achieved in this experiment.

Direct observation of Young’s double-slit interferences in vibrationally resolved photoionization of diatomic molecules

PubMed Central

Canton, Sophie E.; Plésiat, Etienne; Bozek, John D.; Rude, Bruce S.; Decleva, Piero; Martín, Fernando

2011-01-01

Vibrationally resolved valence-shell photoionization spectra of H2, N2 and CO have been measured in the photon energy range 20–300 eV using third-generation synchrotron radiation. Young’s double-slit interferences lead to oscillations in the corresponding vibrational ratios, showing that the molecules behave as two-center electron-wave emitters and that the associated interferences leave their trace in the angle-integrated photoionization cross section. In contrast to previous work, the oscillations are directly observable in the experiment, thereby removing any possible ambiguity related to the introduction of external parameters or fitting functions. A straightforward extension of an original idea proposed by Cohen and Fano [Cohen HD, Fano U (1966) Phys Rev 150:30] confirms this interpretation and shows that it is also valid for diatomic heteronuclear molecules. Results of accurate theoretical calculations are in excellent agreement with the experimental findings.

Quantum walks of correlated photon pairs in two-dimensional waveguide arrays.

PubMed

Poulios, Konstantinos; Keil, Robert; Fry, Daniel; Meinecke, Jasmin D A; Matthews, Jonathan C F; Politi, Alberto; Lobino, Mirko; Gräfe, Markus; Heinrich, Matthias; Nolte, Stefan; Szameit, Alexander; O'Brien, Jeremy L

2014-04-11

We demonstrate quantum walks of correlated photons in a two-dimensional network of directly laser written waveguides coupled in a "swiss cross" arrangement. The correlated detection events show high-visibility quantum interference and unique composite behavior: strong correlation and independence of the quantum walkers, between and within the planes of the cross. Violations of a classically defined inequality, for photons injected in the same plane and in orthogonal planes, reveal nonclassical behavior in a nonplanar structure.

Weak-field multiphoton femtosecond coherent control in the single-cycle regime.

PubMed

Chuntonov, Lev; Fleischer, Avner; Amitay, Zohar

2011-03-28

Weak-field coherent phase control of atomic non-resonant multiphoton excitation induced by shaped femtosecond pulses is studied theoretically in the single-cycle regime. The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the pulse, which in the multi-cycle regime does not play any control role, is shown here to be a new effective control parameter that its effect is highly sensitive to the spectral position of the ultrabroad spectrum. Rationally chosen position of the ultrabroadband spectrum coherently induces several groups of multiphoton transitions from the ground state to the excited state of the system: transitions involving only absorbed photons as well as Raman transitions involving both absorbed and emitted photons. The intra-group interference is controlled by the relative spectral phase of the different frequency components of the pulse, while the inter-group interference is controlled jointly by the CEP and the relative spectral phase. Specifically, non-resonant two- and three-photon excitation is studied in a simple model system within the perturbative frequency-domain framework. The developed intuition is then applied to weak-field multiphoton excitation of atomic cesium (Cs), where the simplified model is verified by non-perturbative numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We expect this work to serve as a basis for a new line of femtosecond coherent control experiments.

Photonic band gap templating using optical interference lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Timothy Y. M.; Toader, Ovidiu; John, Sajeev

2005-04-01

We describe the properties of three families of inversion-symmetric, large photonic band-gap (PBG) template architectures defined by iso-intensity surfaces in four beam laser interference patterns. These templates can be fabricated by optical interference (holographic) lithography in a suitable polymer photo-resist. PBG materials can be synthesized from these templates using two stages of infiltration and inversion, first with silica and second with silicon. By considering point and space group symmetries to produce laser interference patterns with the smallest possible irreducible Brillouin zones, we obtain laser beam intensities, directions, and polarizations which generate a diamond-like (fcc) crystal, a novel body-centered cubic (bcc) architecture, and a simple-cubic (sc) structure. We obtain laser beam parameters that maximize the intensity contrasts of the interference patterns. This optimizes the robustness of the holographic lithography to inhomogeneity in the polymer photo-resist. When the optimized iso-intensity surface defines a silicon to air boundary (dielectric contrast of 11.9 to 1), the fcc, bcc, and sc crystals have PBG to center frequency ratios of 25%, 21%, and 11%, respectively. A full PBG forms for the diamond-like crystal when the refractive index contrast exceeds 1.97 to 1. We illustrate a noninversion symmetric PBG architecture that interpolates between a simple fcc structure and a diamond network structure. This crystal exhibits two distinct and complete photonic band gaps. We also describe a generalized class of tetragonal photonic crystals that interpolate between and extrapolate beyond the diamond-like crystal and the optimized bcc crystal. We demonstrate the extent to which the resulting PBG materials are robust against perturbations to the laser beam amplitudes and polarizations, and template inhomogeneity. The body centered cubic structure exhibits the maximum robustness overall.

The EIT- and N- joint resonance lineshape asymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crescimanno, Michael; Hancox, Cindy; Hohensee, Michael; Phillips, David; Walsworth, Ron

2008-03-01

The solution of a quantum optics model for the joint EIT- and N- resonance explains the experimentally observed two-photon lineshape asymmetry as arising from interference and AC stark effects. This solution is evaluated for various light field intensities, detunings and couplings associated with experiments performed on the D1 and D2 transition of 87Rb. Because of its contribution to clock instability, lineshape asymmetry remains perhaps the main impediment to improving all-optical time standards based on the joint resonance.

Realistic interpretation of quantum mechanics and encounter-delayed-choice experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, GuiLu; Qin, Wei; Yang, Zhe; Li, Jun-Lin

2018-03-01

In this paper, a realistic interpretation (REIN) of the wave function in quantum mechanics is briefly presented. We demonstrate that in the REIN, the wave function of a microscopic object is its real existence rather than a mere mathematical description. Specifically, the quantum object can exist in disjointed regions of space just as the wave function is distributed, travels at a finite speed, and collapses instantly upon a measurement. Furthermore, we analyze the single-photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) using the REIN. Based on this, we propose and experimentally implement a generalized delayed-choice experiment, called the encounter-delayed-choice experiment, where the second beam splitter is decided whether or not to insert at the encounter of two sub-waves along the arms of the MZI. In such an experiment, the parts of the sub-waves, which do not travel through the beam splitter, show a particle nature, whereas the remaining parts interfere and thus show a wave nature. The predicted phenomenon is clearly demonstrated in the experiment, thus supporting the REIN idea.

Integrated quantum photonic sensor based on Hong-Ou-Mandel interference.

PubMed

Basiri-Esfahani, Sahar; Myers, Casey R; Armin, Ardalan; Combes, Joshua; Milburn, Gerard J

2015-06-15

Photonic-crystal-based integrated optical systems have been used for a broad range of sensing applications with great success. This has been motivated by several advantages such as high sensitivity, miniaturization, remote sensing, selectivity and stability. Many photonic crystal sensors have been proposed with various fabrication designs that result in improved optical properties. In parallel, integrated optical systems are being pursued as a platform for photonic quantum information processing using linear optics and Fock states. Here we propose a novel integrated Fock state optical sensor architecture that can be used for force, refractive index and possibly local temperature detection. In this scheme, two coupled cavities behave as an "effective beam splitter". The sensor works based on fourth order interference (the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect) and requires a sequence of single photon pulses and consequently has low pulse power. Changes in the parameter to be measured induce variations in the effective beam splitter reflectivity and result in changes to the visibility of interference. We demonstrate this generic scheme in coupled L3 photonic crystal cavities as an example and find that this system, which only relies on photon coincidence detection and does not need any spectral resolution, can estimate forces as small as 10(-7) Newtons and can measure one part per million change in refractive index using a very low input power of 10(-10)W. Thus linear optical quantum photonic architectures can achieve comparable sensor performance to semiclassical devices.

Silica-on-silicon waveguide quantum circuits.

PubMed

Politi, Alberto; Cryan, Martin J; Rarity, John G; Yu, Siyuan; O'Brien, Jeremy L

2008-05-02

Quantum technologies based on photons will likely require an integrated optics architecture for improved performance, miniaturization, and scalability. We demonstrate high-fidelity silica-on-silicon integrated optical realizations of key quantum photonic circuits, including two-photon quantum interference with a visibility of 94.8 +/- 0.5%; a controlled-NOT gate with an average logical basis fidelity of 94.3 +/- 0.2%; and a path-entangled state of two photons with fidelity of >92%. These results show that it is possible to directly "write" sophisticated photonic quantum circuits onto a silicon chip, which will be of benefit to future quantum technologies based on photons, including information processing, communication, metrology, and lithography, as well as the fundamental science of quantum optics.

Influence of phonon reservoir on photon blockade in a driven quantum dot-cavity system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Bo; Li, Gao-xiang, E-mail: gaox@phy.ccnu.edu.cn; Zhu, Jia-pei, E-mail: fengxue0506@163.com

2016-03-14

We theoretically investigate the influence of the phonon bath on photon blockade in a simultaneously driven dot-cavity system. An optimal condition for avoiding two-photon excitation of a cavity field is put forward which can be achieved by modulating the phase difference and the strengths of the driving fields. The second-order correlation function and the mean photon number of the cavity field are discussed. In the absence of phonon effect, the strong photon blockade in a moderate quantum dot (QD)-cavity coupling regime occurs, which can be attributed to the destructive quantum interference arisen from different transition paths induced by simultaneously drivingmore » the dressed QD-cavity system. The participation of acoustic-phonon reservoir produces new transition channels for the QD-cavity system, which leads to the damage of destructive interference. As a result, the photon blockade effect is hindered when taking the electron-phonon interaction into account. It is also found that the temperature of the phonon reservoir is disadvantageous for the generation of photon blockade.« less

Atom-atom entanglement by single-photon detection.

PubMed

Slodička, L; Hétet, G; Röck, N; Schindler, P; Hennrich, M; Blatt, R

2013-02-22

A scheme for entangling distant atoms is realized, as proposed in the seminal paper by [C. Cabrillo et al., Phys. Rev. A 59, 1025 (1999)]. The protocol is based on quantum interference and detection of a single photon scattered from two effectively one meter distant laser cooled and trapped atomic ions. The detection of a single photon heralds entanglement of two internal states of the trapped ions with high rate and with a fidelity limited mostly by atomic motion. Control of the entangled state phase is demonstrated by changing the path length of the single-photon interferometer.

Generation of degenerate, factorizable, pulsed squeezed light at telecom wavelengths

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerrits, Thomas; Stevens, Martin; Baek, Burm

We characterize a periodically poled KTP crystal that produces an entangled, two-mode, squeezed state with orthogonal polarizations, nearly identical, factorizable frequency modes, and few photons in unwanted frequency modes. We focus the pump beam to create a nearly circular joint spectral probability distribution between the two modes. After disentangling the two modes, we observe Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with a raw (background corrected) visibility of 86% (95%) when an 8.6 nm bandwidth spectral filter is applied. We measure second order photon correlations of the entangled and disentangled squeezed states with both superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors and photon-number-resolving transition-edge sensors. Both methods agreemore » and verify that the detected modes contain the desired photon number distributions.« less

Microwave Photonic Filters for Interference Cancellation and Adaptive Beamforming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, John

Wireless communication has experienced an explosion of growth, especially in the past half- decade, due to the ubiquity of wireless devices, such as tablets, WiFi-enabled devices, and especially smartphones. Proliferation of smartphones with powerful processors and graphic chips have given an increasing amount of people the ability to access anything from anywhere. Unfortunately, this ease of access has greatly increased mobile wireless bandwidth and have begun to stress carrier networks and spectra. Wireless interference cancellation will play a big role alongside the popularity of wire- less communication. In this thesis, we will investigate optical signal processing methods for wireless interference cancellation methods. Optics provide the perfect backdrop for interference cancellation. Mobile wireless data is already aggregated and transported through fiber backhaul networks in practice. By sandwiching the signal processing stage between the receiver and the fiber backhaul, processing can easily be done locally in one location. Further, optics offers the advantages of being instantaneously broadband and size, weight, and power (SWAP). We are primarily concerned with two methods for interference cancellation, based on microwave photonic filters, in this thesis. The first application is for a co-channel situation, in which a transmitter and receiver are co-located and transmitting at the same frequency. A novel analog optical technique extended for multipath interference cancellation of broadband signals is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in this thesis. The proposed architecture was able to achieve a maximum of 40 dB of cancellation over 200 MHz and 50 dB of cancellation over 10 MHz. The broadband nature of the cancellation, along with its depth, demonstrates both the precision of the optical components and the validity of the architecture. Next, we are interested in a scenario with dynamically changing interference, which requires an adaptive photonic beamformer. The solution is two-part. A novel highly-scalable photonic beamformer is first proposed and experimentally verified. A "blind" search algorithm called the guided accelerated random search (GARS) algorithm is then shown. A maximum cancellation of 37 dB is achieved within 50 iterations, a real-world time of 1-3 seconds, while the presence of a signal of interest (SOI) is maintained.

Resonant parametric interference effect in spontaneous bremsstrahlung of an electron in the field of a nucleus and two pulsed laser waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebed', A. A.; Padusenko, E. A.; Roshchupkin, S. P.; Dubov, V. V.

2018-04-01

Electron-nucleus bremsstrahlung in the field of two moderately strong pulsed laser waves in the case of incommensurate frequencies is theoretically studied under resonant conditions. The process is studied in detail in a special kinematic region, where stimulated processes with correlated emission and absorption of photons of the first and second waves become predominant (parametric interference effect). The availability of this region is caused by interference of the first and second laser waves. The correspondence between the emission angle and the final-electron energy is established in this interference kinematic. In this case, the cross-sectional properties are determined by the multiphoton quantum interference parameter, which is proportional to the product of intensities of the first and second waves. The resonant differential cross section of electron-nucleus spontaneous bremsstrahlung with simultaneous registration of both emission angles of the spontaneous photon and the scattered electron can exceed by four or five orders of magnitude the corresponding cross section in the absence of an external field. It was shown for nonrelativistic electrons that the resonant cross section of the studied process in the field of two pulsed laser waves within the interference region in two order of magnitude may exceed corresponding cross sections at other scattering kinematics. The obtained results may be experimentally verified, for example, by scientific facilities at sources of pulsed laser radiation (such as SLAC, FAIR, XFEL, ELI).

Continuously active interferometer stabilization and control for time-bin entanglement distribution

DOE PAGES

Toliver, Paul; Dailey, James M.; Agarwal, Anjali; ...

2015-02-10

In this study, we describe a new method enabling continuous stabilization and fine-level phase control of time-bin entanglement interferometers. Using this technique we demonstrate entangled photon transmission through 50 km of standard single-mode fiber. This technique reuses the entangled-pair generation pump which is co-propagated with the transmitted entangled photons. In addition, the co-propagating pump adds minimal noise to the entangled photons which are characterized by measuring a two-photon interference fringe.

Quantum correlation of path-entangled two-photon states in waveguide arrays with defects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dou, Yiling; Xu, Lei; Han, Bin

We study the quantum correlation of path-entangled states of two photons in coupled one-dimensional waveguide arrays with lattice defects. Both off-diagonal and diagonal defects are considered, which show different effects on the quantum correlation of path-entangled two-photon states. Two-photon bunching or anti-bunching effects can be observed and controlled. The two photons are found to have a tendency to bunch at the side lobes with a repulsive off-diagonal defect, and the path-entanglement of the input two-photon state can be preserved during the propagation. We also found that defect modes may play an important role on the two-photon correlation of path-entangled statesmore » in the waveguide arrays. Due to the quantum interference effect, intriguing evolution dynamics of the two-photon correlation matrix elements with oscillation frequencies being either twice of or the same as that of a classical light wave, depending on the position of the correlation matrix element, is observed. Our results show that it is possible to manipulate the two-photon correlation properties of path-entangled states in waveguide arrays with lattice defects.« less

Polarization-induced interference within electromagnetically induced transparency for atoms of double-V linkage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yuan; Liu, Chang; Chen, Ping-Xing; Liu, Liang

2018-02-01

People have been paying attention to the role of atoms' complex internal level structures in the research of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) for a long time, where the various degenerate Zeeman levels usually generate complex linkage patterns for the atomic transitions. It turns out, with special choices of the atomic states and the atomic transitions' linkage structure, clear signatures of quantum interference induced by the probe and coupling light's polarizations can emerge from a typical EIT phenomena. We propose to study a four-state system with double-V linkage pattern for the transitions and analyze the polarization-induced interference under the EIT condition. We show that such interference arises naturally under mild conditions on the optical field and atom manipulation techniques. Moreover, we construct a variation form of double-M linkage pattern where the polarization-induced interference enables polarization-dependent cross modulation between incident weak lights that can be effective even at the few-photon level. The theme is to gain more insight into the essential question: how can we build a nontrivial optical medium where incident lights experience polarization-dependent nonlinear optical interactions, valid for a wide range of incidence intensities down to the few-photon level?

Classical and quantum non-linear optical applications using the Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prescod, Andru

Mach Zehnder (MZ) modulators are widely employed in a variety of applications, such as optical communications, optical imaging, metrology and encryption. In this dissertation, we explore two non-linear MZ applications; one classified as classical and one as quantum, in which the Mach Zehnder interferometer is used. In the first application, a classical non-linear application, we introduce and study a new electro-optic highly linear (e.g., >130 dB) modulator configuration. This modulator makes use of a phase modulator (PM) in one arm of the MZ interferometer (MZI) and a ring resonator (RR) located on the other arm. The modulator performance is obtained through the control of a combination of internal and external parameters. These parameters include the RR-coupling ratio (internal parameter); the RF power split ratio and the RF phase bias (external parameters). Results show the unique and superior features, such as high linearity (SFDR˜133 dB), modulation bandwidth extension (as much as 70%) over the previously proposed and demonstrated Resonator-Assisted Mach Zehnder (RAMZ) design. Furthermore the proposed electro-optic modulator of this dissertation also provides an inherent SFDR compensation capability, even in cases where a significant waveguide optical loss exists. This design also shows potential for increased flexibility, practicality and ease of use. In the second application, a quantum non-linear application, we experimentally demonstrate quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) using a type II non-linear crystal (periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate (KTiOPO4) or PPKTP). There have been several publications discussing the merits and disadvantages of QOCT compared to OCT and other imaging techniques. First, we discuss the issues and solutions for increasing the efficiency of the quantum entangled photons. Second, we use a free space QOCT experiment to generate a high flux of these quantum entangled photons in two orthogonal polarizations, by parametric down-conversion. Third, by ensuring that these down-converted photons have the same frequency, spatial-temporal mode, and the same polarization when they interfere at a beam splitter, quantum interference should occur. Quantum interference of these entangled photons enables high resolution probing of dispersive samples.

Multimode quantum interference of photons in multiport integrated devices

PubMed Central

Peruzzo, Alberto; Laing, Anthony; Politi, Alberto; Rudolph, Terry; O'Brien, Jeremy L.

2011-01-01

Photonics is a leading approach in realizing future quantum technologies and recently, optical waveguide circuits on silicon chips have demonstrated high levels of miniaturization and performance. Multimode interference (MMI) devices promise a straightforward implementation of compact and robust multiport circuits. Here, we show quantum interference in a 2×2 MMI coupler with visibility of V=95.6±0.9%. We further demonstrate the operation of a 4×4 port MMI device with photon pairs, which exhibits complex quantum interference behaviour. We have developed a new technique to fully characterize such multiport devices, which removes the need for phase-sensitive measurements and may find applications for a wide range of photonic devices. Our results show that MMI devices can operate in the quantum regime with high fidelity and promise substantial simplification and concatenation of photonic quantum circuits. PMID:21364563

Spatial two-photon interference in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Heonoh; Kwon, Osung; Kim, Wonsik

2006-02-15

We report the observation of the cosine modulation in the coincidence rates from a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer. Spatial interference fringes are seen by minute rotations of one mirror about the vertical axis, while the beam splitter is fixed in the center position. The results show that the maximum visibility of the fringe is 0.81, and the photon pairs separated by less than 1.52 mm in the source plane are measured to be indistinguishable. It turns out that it is possible to invert the HOM dips to peaks by the rotation of the mirror.

A high-speed tunable beam splitter for feed-forward photonic quantum information processing.

PubMed

Ma, Xiao-Song; Zotter, Stefan; Tetik, Nuray; Qarry, Angie; Jennewein, Thomas; Zeilinger, Anton

2011-11-07

We realize quantum gates for path qubits with a high-speed, polarization-independent and tunable beam splitter. Two electro-optical modulators act in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer as high-speed phase shifters and rapidly tune its splitting ratio. We test its performance with heralded single photons, observing a polarization-independent interference contrast above 95%. The switching time is about 5.6 ns, and a maximal repetition rate is 2.5 MHz. We demonstrate tunable feed-forward operations of a single-qubit gate of path-encoded qubits and a two-qubit gate via measurement-induced interaction between two photons.

Lithography using quantum entangled particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Colin (Inventor); Dowling, Jonathan (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A system of etching using quantum entangled particles to get shorter interference fringes. An interferometer is used to obtain an interference fringe. N entangled photons are input to the interferometer. This reduces the distance between interference fringes by n, where again n is the number of entangled photons.

Lithography using quantum entangled particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Colin (Inventor); Dowling, Jonathan (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A system of etching using quantum entangled particles to get shorter interference fringes. An interferometer is used to obtain an interference fringe. N entangled photons are input to the interferometer. This reduces the distance between interference fringes by n, where again n is the number of entangled photons.

Photonic crystal fiber sensing characteristics research based on alcohol asymmetry filling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Fu-quan; Luo, Yan; Li, Hai-tao; Peng, Bao-jin

2018-02-01

A new type of Sagnac fiber temperature sensor based on alcohol asymmetric filling photonic crystal fiber is proposed. First, the corrosion of photonic crystal fiber and the treatment of air hole collapse are carried out. Then, the asymmetric structure of photonic crystal fiber is filled with alcohol, and then the structure is connected to the Sagnac interference ring. When the temperature changes, the thermal expansion effect of filling alcohol will lead to the change of birefringence of photonic crystal fiber, so that the interference spectrum of the sensor will drift along with the change of temperature. The experimental results show that the interference red shift will occur with the increase of temperature, and the temperature sensitivity is 0.1864nm/ °C. The sensor has high sensitivity to temperature. At the same time, the structure has the advantages of high stability, anti electromagnetic interference and easy to build. It provides a new method for obtaining birefringence in ordinary photonic crystal fibers.

Direct observation of phase-sensitive Hong-Ou-Mandel interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marek, Petr; Zapletal, Petr; Filip, Radim; Hashimoto, Yosuke; Toyama, Takeshi; Yoshikawa, Jun-ichi; Makino, Kenzo; Furusawa, Akira

2017-09-01

The quality of individual photons and their ability to interfere are traditionally tested by measuring the Hong-Ou-Mandel photon bunching effect. However, this phase-insensitive measurement only tests the particle aspect of the quantum interference, leaving out the phase-sensitive aspects relevant for continuous-variable processing. To overcome these limitations we formulate a witness capable of recognizing both the indistinguishability of the single photons and their quality with regard to their continuous-variable utilization. We exploit the conditional nonclassical squeezing and show that it can reveal both the particle and the wave aspects of the quantum interference in a single set of direct measurements. We experimentally test the witness by applying it to a pair of independent single photons retrieved on demand.

Properties of entangled photon pairs generated in one-dimensional nonlinear photonic-band-gap structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perina, Jan Jr.; Centini, Marco; Sibilia, Concita

We have developed a rigorous quantum model of spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear 1D photonic-band-gap structure based upon expansion of the field into monochromatic plane waves. The model provides a two-photon amplitude of a created photon pair. The spectra of the signal and idler fields, their intensity profiles in the time domain, as well as the coincidence-count interference pattern in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer are determined both for cw and pulsed pumping regimes in terms of the two-photon amplitude. A broad range of parameters characterizing the emitted down-converted fields can be used. As an example, a structure composed of 49more » layers of GaN/AlN is analyzed as a suitable source of photon pairs having high efficiency.« less

Sensitive and rapid detection of endogenous hydrogen sulfide distributing in different mouse viscera via a two-photon fluorescent probe.

PubMed

Chen, Qian; Yang, Jinfeng; Li, Yinhui; Zheng, Jing; Yang, Ronghua

2015-10-08

Development of efficient methods for detection of endogenous H2S in living cells and tissues is of considerable significance for better understanding the biological and pathological functions of H2S. Two-photon (TP) fluorescent probes are favorable as powerful molecular tools for studying physiological process due to its non-invasiveness, high spatiotemporal resolution and deep-tissues imaging. Up to date, several TP probes for intracellular H2S imaging have been designed, but real-time imaging of endogenous H2S-related biological processes in tissues is hampered due to low sensitivity, long response time and interference from other biothiols. To address this issue, we herein report a novel two-photon fluorescent probe (TPP-H2S) for highly sensitive and fast monitoring and imaging H2S levels in living cells and tissues. In the presence of H2S, it exhibits obviously improved sensitivity (LOD: 0.12 μM) and fast response time (about 2 min) compared with the reported two-photon H2S probes. With two-photon excitation, TPP-H2S displays high signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity even no interference in cell growth media. As further application, TPP-H2S is applied for fast imaging of H2S in living cells and different fresh tissues by two-photon confocal microscope. Most importantly we first measured the endogenous H2S level in different viscera by vivisection and found that the distribution of endogenous H2S mostly in brain, liver and lung. The excellent sensing properties of TPP-H2S make it a practically useful tool for further studying biological roles of H2S. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optical interference coatings for optics and photonics [Invited].

PubMed

Lee, Cheng-Chung

2013-01-01

Optical interference coatings play as an important role in the progress in optics and photonics. In this article we give a minireview of the evolution of optical interference coatings from the theory, the design, to the manufacture. Some interesting but challenging topics for the future are also discussed.

On-demand semiconductor single-photon source with near-unity indistinguishability.

PubMed

He, Yu-Ming; He, Yu; Wei, Yu-Jia; Wu, Dian; Atatüre, Mete; Schneider, Christian; Höfling, Sven; Kamp, Martin; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

2013-03-01

Single-photon sources based on semiconductor quantum dots offer distinct advantages for quantum information, including a scalable solid-state platform, ultrabrightness and interconnectivity with matter qubits. A key prerequisite for their use in optical quantum computing and solid-state networks is a high level of efficiency and indistinguishability. Pulsed resonance fluorescence has been anticipated as the optimum condition for the deterministic generation of high-quality photons with vanishing effects of dephasing. Here, we generate pulsed single photons on demand from a single, microcavity-embedded quantum dot under s-shell excitation with 3 ps laser pulses. The π pulse-excited resonance-fluorescence photons have less than 0.3% background contribution and a vanishing two-photon emission probability. Non-postselective Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between two successively emitted photons is observed with a visibility of 0.97(2), comparable to trapped atoms and ions. Two single photons are further used to implement a high-fidelity quantum controlled-NOT gate.

Two-Particle Interference of Electron Pairs on a Molecular Level

DOE PAGES

Waitz, M.; Metz, D.; Lower, J.; ...

2016-08-15

Here, wWe investigate the photodouble ionization of H 2 molecules with 400 eV photons. We find that the emitted electrons do not show any sign of two-center interference fringes in their angular emission distributions if considered separately. Conversely, the quasiparticle consisting of both electrons (i.e., the "dielectron") does. The work highlights the fact that nonlocal effects are embedded everywhere in nature where many-particle processes are involved.

Deterministic and robust generation of single photons from a single quantum dot with 99.5% indistinguishability using adiabatic rapid passage.

PubMed

Wei, Yu-Jia; He, Yu-Ming; Chen, Ming-Cheng; Hu, Yi-Nan; He, Yu; Wu, Dian; Schneider, Christian; Kamp, Martin; Höfling, Sven; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

2014-11-12

Single photons are attractive candidates of quantum bits (qubits) for quantum computation and are the best messengers in quantum networks. Future scalable, fault-tolerant photonic quantum technologies demand both stringently high levels of photon indistinguishability and generation efficiency. Here, we demonstrate deterministic and robust generation of pulsed resonance fluorescence single photons from a single semiconductor quantum dot using adiabatic rapid passage, a method robust against fluctuation of driving pulse area and dipole moments of solid-state emitters. The emitted photons are background-free, have a vanishing two-photon emission probability of 0.3% and a raw (corrected) two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel interference visibility of 97.9% (99.5%), reaching a precision that places single photons at the threshold for fault-tolerant surface-code quantum computing. This single-photon source can be readily scaled up to multiphoton entanglement and used for quantum metrology, boson sampling, and linear optical quantum computing.

High-speed low-power photonic transistor devices based on optically-controlled gain or absorption to affect optical interference.

PubMed

Huang, Yingyan; Ho, Seng-Tiong

2008-10-13

We show that a photonic transistor device can be realized via the manipulation of optical interference by optically controlled gain or absorption in novel ways, resulting in efficient transistor signal gain and switching action. Exemplary devices illustrate two complementary device types with high operating speed, microm size, microW switching power, and switching gain. They can act in tandem to provide a wide variety of operations including wavelength conversion, pulse regeneration, and logical operations. These devices could have a Transistor Figure-of-Merits >10(5) times higher than current chi((3)) approaches and are highly attractive.

Probing Electron-Phonon Interaction through Two-Photon Interference in Resonantly Driven Semiconductor Quantum Dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reigue, Antoine; Iles-Smith, Jake; Lux, Fabian; Monniello, Léonard; Bernard, Mathieu; Margaillan, Florent; Lemaitre, Aristide; Martinez, Anthony; McCutcheon, Dara P. S.; Mørk, Jesper; Hostein, Richard; Voliotis, Valia

2017-06-01

We investigate the temperature dependence of photon coherence properties through two-photon interference (TPI) measurements from a single quantum dot (QD) under resonant excitation. We show that the loss of indistinguishability is related only to the electron-phonon coupling and is not affected by spectral diffusion. Through these measurements and a complementary microscopic theory, we identify two independent separate decoherence processes, both of which are associated with phonons. Below 10 K, we find that the relaxation of the vibrational lattice is the dominant contribution to the loss of TPI visibility. This process is non-Markovian in nature and corresponds to real phonon transitions resulting in a broad phonon sideband in the QD emission spectra. Above 10 K, virtual phonon transitions to higher lying excited states in the QD become the dominant dephasing mechanism, this leads to a broadening of the zero phonon line, and a corresponding rapid decay in the visibility. The microscopic theory we develop provides analytic expressions for the dephasing rates for both virtual phonon scattering and non-Markovian lattice relaxation.

Complementarity and path distinguishability: Some recent results concerning photon pairs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shimony, Abner; Jaeger, Gregg

1994-01-01

Two results concerning photon pairs, one previously reported and one new, are summarized. It was previously shown that if the two photons are prepared in a quantum state formed from bar-A and bar-A' for photon 1 and bar-B and bar-B' for photon 2, then both one- and two-particle interferometry can be studied. If upsilon(sub i) is the visibility of one-photon interference fringes (i = 1,2) and upsilon(sub 12) is the visibility of two-photon fringes (a concept which we explicitly define), then upsilon(sub i) squared + upsilon(sub 12) squared is less than or equal to 1. The second result concerns the distinguishability of the paths of photon 2, using the known 2-photon state. A proposed measure E for path distinguishability is based upon finding an optimum strategy for betting on the outcome of a path measurement. Mandel has also proposed a measure of distinguishability P(sub D), defined in terms of the density operator rho of photon 2. We show that E is greater than or equal to P(sub D) and that upsilon(sub 2) = (1 - E(exp 2))exp 1/2.

Two-pole microring weight banks.

PubMed

Tait, Alexander N; Wu, Allie X; Ferreira de Lima, Thomas; Nahmias, Mitchell A; Shastri, Bhavin J; Prucnal, Paul R

2018-05-15

Weighted addition is an elemental multi-input to single-output operation that can be implemented with high-performance photonic devices. Microring (MRR) weight banks bring programmable weighted addition to silicon photonics. Prior work showed that their channel limits are affected by coherent inter-channel effects that occur uniquely in weight banks. We fabricate two-pole designs that exploit this inter-channel interference in a way that is robust to dynamic tuning and fabrication variation. Scaling analysis predicts a channel count improvement of 3.4-fold, which is substantially greater than predicted by incoherent analysis used in conventional MRR devices. Advances in weight bank design expand the potential of reconfigurable analog photonic networks and multivariate microwave photonics.

Security improvement by using a modified coherent state for quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Y.J.; Zhu, Luobei; Ou, Z.Y.

2005-03-01

Weak coherent states as a photon source for quantum cryptography have a limit in secure data rate and transmission distance because of the presence of multiphoton events and loss in transmission line. Two-photon events in a coherent state can be taken out by a two-photon interference scheme. We investigate the security issue of utilizing this modified coherent state in quantum cryptography. A 4-dB improvement in the secure data rate or a nearly twofold increase in transmission distance over the coherent state are found. With a recently proposed and improved encoding strategy, further improvement is possible.

Quantum correlations of lights in macroscopic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sua, Yong Meng

This dissertation presents a detailed study in exploring quantum correlations of lights in macroscopic environments. We have explored quantum correlations of single photons, weak coherent states, and polarization-correlated/polarization-entangled photons in macroscopic environments. These included macroscopic mirrors, macroscopic photon number, spatially separated observers, noisy photons source and propagation medium with loss or disturbances. We proposed a measurement scheme for observing quantum correlations and entanglement in the spatial properties of two macroscopic mirrors using single photons spatial compass state. We explored the phase space distribution features of spatial compass states, such as chessboard pattern by using the Wigner function. The displacement and tilt correlations of the two mirrors were manifested through the propensities of the compass states. This technique can be used to extract Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations (EPR) of the two mirrors. We then formulated the discrete-like property of the propensity P b(m,n), which can be used to explore environmental perturbed quantum jumps of the EPR correlations in phase space. With single photons spatial compass state, the variances in position and momentum are much smaller than standard quantum limit when using a Gaussian TEM 00 beam. We observed intrinsic quantum correlations of weak coherent states between two parties through balanced homodyne detection. Our scheme can be used as a supplement to decoy-state BB84 protocol and differential phase-shift QKD protocol. We prepared four types of bipartite correlations +/- cos2(theta1 +/- theta 2) that shared between two parties. We also demonstrated bits correlations between two parties separated by 10 km optical fiber. The bits information will be protected by the large quantum phase fluctuation of weak coherent states, adding another physical layer of security to these protocols for quantum key distribution. Using 10 m of highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF) at 77 K, we observed coincidence to accidental-coincidence ratio of 130+/-5 for correlated photon-pair and Two-Photon Interference visibility >98% entangled photon-pair. We also verified the non-local behavior of polarization-entangled photon pair by violating Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt Bell's inequality by more than 12 standard deviations. With the HNLF at 300 K (77 K), photon-pair production rate about factor 3(2) higher than a 300 m dispersion-shifted fiber is observed. Then, we studied quantum correlation and interference of photon-pairs; with one photon of the photon-pair experiencing multiple scattering in a random medium. We observed that depolarization noise photon in multiple scattering degrading the purity of photon-pair, and the existence of Raman noise photon in a photon-pair source will contribute to the depolarization affect. We found that quantum correlation of polarization-entangled photon-pair is better preserved than polarization-correlated photon-pair as one photon of the photon-pair scattered through a random medium. Our findings showed that high purity polarization-entangled photon-pair is better candidate for long distance quantum key distribution.

In search of multipath interference using large molecules

PubMed Central

Cotter, Joseph P.; Brand, Christian; Knobloch, Christian; Lilach, Yigal; Cheshnovsky, Ori; Arndt, Markus

2017-01-01

The superposition principle is fundamental to the quantum description of both light and matter. Recently, a number of experiments have sought to directly test this principle using coherent light, single photons, and nuclear spin states. We extend these experiments to massive particles for the first time. We compare the interference patterns arising from a beam of large dye molecules diffracting at single, double, and triple slit material masks to place limits on any high-order, or multipath, contributions. We observe an upper bound of less than one particle in a hundred deviating from the expectations of quantum mechanics over a broad range of transverse momenta and de Broglie wavelength. PMID:28819641

Radiation Therapy

MedlinePlus

... Radiation (also called x-rays, gamma rays, or photons) either kills tumor cells directly or interferes with ... treatment per day, five days a week, for two to seven weeks. Potiential Side Effects Most people ...

Thermal Casimir-Polder forces on a V-type three-level atom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chen-Ran; Xu, Jing-Ping; Al-amri, M.; Zhu, Cheng-Jie; Xie, Shuang-Yuan; Yang, Ya-Ping

2017-09-01

We study the thermal Casimir-Polder (CP) forces on a V-type three-level atom. The competition between the thermal effect and the quantum interference of the two transition dipoles on the force is investigated. To shed light onto the role of the quantum interference, we analyze two kinds of initial states of the atom, i.e., the superradiant state and the subradiant state. Considering the atom being in the thermal reservoir, the resonant CP force arising from the real photon emission dominates in the evolution of the CP force. Under the zero-temperature condition, the quantum interference can effectively modify the amplitude and the evolution of the force, leading to a long-time force or even the cancellation of the force. Our results reveal that in the finite-temperature case, the thermal photons can enhance the amplitude of all force elements, but have no influence on the net resonant CP force in the steady state, which means that the second law of thermodynamics still works. For the ideal degenerate V-type atom with parallel dipoles under the initial subradiant state, the robust destructive quantum interference overrides the thermal fluctuations, leading to the trapping of the atom in the subradiant state and the disappearance of the CP force. However, in terms of a realistic Zeeman atom, the thermal photons play a significant role during the evolution of the CP force. The thermal fluctuations can enhance the amplitude of the initial CP force by increasing the temperature, and weaken the influence of the quantum interference on the evolution of the CP force from the initial superradiant (subradiant) state to the steady state.

Quantum optics and nano-optics teaching laboratory for the undergraduate curriculum: teaching quantum mechanics and nano-physics with photon counting instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukishova, Svetlana G.

2017-08-01

At the Institute of Optics, University of Rochester (UR), we have adapted to the main challenge (the lack of space in the curriculum) by developing a series of modular 3-hour experiments and 20-min-demonstrations based on technical elective, 4-credit-hour laboratory course "Quantum Optics and Nano-Optics Laboratory" (OPT 253/OPT453/PHY434), that were incorporated into a number of required courses ranging from freshman to senior level. Rochester Monroe Community College (MCC) students also benefited from this facility that was supported by four NSF grants. MCC students carried out two 3-hour labs on photon quantum mechanics at the UR. Since 2006, total 566 students passed through the labs with lab reports submission (including 144 MCC students) and more than 250 students through lab demonstrations. In basic class OPT 253, four teaching labs were prepared on generation and characterization of entangled and single (antibunched) photons demonstrating the laws of quantum mechanics: (1) entanglement and Bell's inequalities, (2) single-photon interference (Young's double slit experiment and Mach-Zehnder interferometer), (3) confocal microscope imaging of single-emitter (colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots and NV-center nanodiamonds) fluorescence within photonic (liquid crystal photonic bandgap microcavities) or plasmonic (gold bowtie nanoantennas) nanostructures, (4) Hanbury Brown and Twiss setup. Fluorescence antibunching from nanoemitters. Students also carried out measurements of nanodiamond topography using atomic force microscopy and prepared photonic bandgap materials from cholesteric liquid crystals. Manuals, student reports, presentations, lecture materials and quizzes, as well as some NSF grants' reports are placed on a website http://www.optics.rochester.edu/workgroups/lukishova/QuantumOpticsLab/ . In 2011 UR hosted 6 professors from different US universities in three-days training of these experiments participating in the Immersion Program of the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association.

Direct writing of large-area plasmonic photonic crystals using single-shot interference ablation.

PubMed

Pang, Zhaoguang; Zhang, Xinping

2011-04-08

We report direct writing of metallic photonic crystals (MPCs) through a single-shot exposure of a thin film of colloidal gold nanoparticles to the interference pattern of a single UV laser pulse before a subsequent annealing process. This is defined as interference ablation, where the colloidal gold nanoparticles illuminated by the bright interference fringes are removed instantly within a timescale of about 6 ns, which is actually the pulse length of the UV laser, whereas the gold nanoparticles located within the dark interference fringes remain on the substrate and form grating structures. This kind of ablation has been proven to have a high spatial resolution and thus enables successful fabrication of waveguided MPC structures with the optical response in the visible spectral range. The subsequent annealing process transforms the grating structures consisting of ligand-covered gold nanoparticles into plasmonic MPCs. The annealing temperature is optimized to a range from 250 to 300 °C to produce MPCs of gold nanowires with a period of 300 nm and an effective area of 5 mm in diameter. If the sample of the spin-coated gold nanoparticles is rotated by 90° after the first exposure, true two-dimensional plasmonic MPCs are produced through a second exposure to the interference pattern. Strong plasmonic resonance and its coupling with the photonic modes of the waveguided MPCs verifies the success of this new fabrication technique. This is the simplest and most efficient technique so far for the construction of large-area MPC devices, which enables true mass fabrication of plasmonic devices with high reproducibility and high success rate.

Direct writing of large-area plasmonic photonic crystals using single-shot interference ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Zhaoguang; Zhang, Xinping

2011-04-01

We report direct writing of metallic photonic crystals (MPCs) through a single-shot exposure of a thin film of colloidal gold nanoparticles to the interference pattern of a single UV laser pulse before a subsequent annealing process. This is defined as interference ablation, where the colloidal gold nanoparticles illuminated by the bright interference fringes are removed instantly within a timescale of about 6 ns, which is actually the pulse length of the UV laser, whereas the gold nanoparticles located within the dark interference fringes remain on the substrate and form grating structures. This kind of ablation has been proven to have a high spatial resolution and thus enables successful fabrication of waveguided MPC structures with the optical response in the visible spectral range. The subsequent annealing process transforms the grating structures consisting of ligand-covered gold nanoparticles into plasmonic MPCs. The annealing temperature is optimized to a range from 250 to 300 °C to produce MPCs of gold nanowires with a period of 300 nm and an effective area of 5 mm in diameter. If the sample of the spin-coated gold nanoparticles is rotated by 90° after the first exposure, true two-dimensional plasmonic MPCs are produced through a second exposure to the interference pattern. Strong plasmonic resonance and its coupling with the photonic modes of the waveguided MPCs verifies the success of this new fabrication technique. This is the simplest and most efficient technique so far for the construction of large-area MPC devices, which enables true mass fabrication of plasmonic devices with high reproducibility and high success rate.

Vacuum-induced Berry phases in single-mode Jaynes-Cummings models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Yu; Wei, L. F.; Jia, W. Z.

2010-10-15

Motivated by work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 220404 (2002)] for detecting the vacuum-induced Berry phases with two-mode Jaynes-Cummings models (JCMs), we show here that, for a parameter-dependent single-mode JCM, certain atom-field states also acquired photon-number-dependent Berry phases after the parameter slowly changed and eventually returned to its initial value. This geometric effect related to the field quantization still exists, even if the field is kept in its vacuum state. Specifically, a feasible Ramsey interference experiment with a cavity quantum electrodynamics system is designed to detect the vacuum-induced Berry phase.

A universal matter-wave interferometer with optical ionization gratings in the time-domain

PubMed Central

Haslinger, Philipp; Dörre, Nadine; Geyer, Philipp; Rodewald, Jonas; Nimmrichter, Stefan; Arndt, Markus

2015-01-01

Matter-wave interferometry with atoms1 and molecules2 has attracted a rapidly growing interest throughout the last two decades both in demonstrations of fundamental quantum phenomena and in quantum-enhanced precision measurements. Such experiments exploit the non-classical superposition of two or more position and momentum states which are coherently split and rejoined to interfere3-11. Here, we present the experimental realization of a universal near-field interferometer built from three short-pulse single-photon ionization gratings12,13. We observe quantum interference of fast molecular clusters, with a composite de Broglie wavelength as small as 275 fm. Optical ionization gratings are largely independent of the specific internal level structure and are therefore universally applicable to different kinds of nanoparticles, ranging from atoms to clusters, molecules and nanospheres. The interferometer is sensitive to fringe shifts as small as a few nanometers and yet robust against velocity-dependent phase shifts, since the gratings exist only for nanoseconds and form an interferometer in the time-domain. PMID:25983851

Intrinsic and environmental effects on the interference properties of a high-performance quantum dot single-photon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhardt, Stefan; Iles-Smith, Jake; McCutcheon, Dara P. S.; He, Yu-Ming; Unsleber, Sebastian; Betzold, Simon; Gregersen, Niels; Mørk, Jesper; Höfling, Sven; Schneider, Christian

2018-05-01

We report a joint experimental and theoretical study of the interference properties of a single-photon source based on a In(Ga)As quantum dot embedded in a quasiplanar GaAs microcavity. Using resonant laser excitation with a pulse separation of 2 ns, we find near-perfect interference of the emitted photons, and a corresponding indistinguishability of I =(99.6 -1.4+0.4)% . For larger pulse separations, quasiresonant excitation conditions, increasing pump power, or with increasing temperature, the interference contrast is progressively and notably reduced. We present a systematic study of the relevant dephasing mechanisms and explain our results in the framework of a microscopic model of our system. For strictly resonant excitation, we show that photon indistinguishability is independent of pump power, but strongly influenced by virtual phonon-assisted processes which are not evident in excitonic Rabi oscillations.

Experimental generalized quantum suppression law in Sylvester interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viggianiello, Niko; Flamini, Fulvio; Innocenti, Luca; Cozzolino, Daniele; Bentivegna, Marco; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Crespi, Andrea; Brod, Daniel J.; Galvão, Ernesto F.; Osellame, Roberto; Sciarrino, Fabio

2018-03-01

Photonic interference is a key quantum resource for optical quantum computation, and in particular for so-called boson sampling devices. In interferometers with certain symmetries, genuine multiphoton quantum interference effectively suppresses certain sets of events, as in the original Hong–Ou–Mandel effect. Recently, it was shown that some classical and semi-classical models could be ruled out by identifying such suppressions in Fourier interferometers. Here we propose a suppression law suitable for random-input experiments in multimode Sylvester interferometers, and verify it experimentally using 4- and 8-mode integrated interferometers. The observed suppression occurs for a much larger fraction of input–output combinations than what is observed in Fourier interferometers of the same size, and could be relevant to certification of boson sampling machines and other experiments relying on bosonic interference, such as quantum simulation and quantum metrology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyn, Rodney K.; Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa; Kennedy, David C.

Research highlights: {yields} Hepatitis C virus uses lipid droplets (LD) onto which HCV core proteins bind. {yields} HCV core proteins on LDs facilitate viral particle assembly. {yields} We used a novel combination of CARS, two-photon fluorescence, and DIC microscopies. {yields} Particle tracking experiments show that core slowly affects LD localization. {yields} Particle tracking measured the change in speed and directionality of LD movement. -- Abstract: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health problem, with limited treatment options and no vaccine available. HCV uses components of the host cell to proliferate, including lipid droplets (LD) onto which HCV coremore » proteins bind and facilitate viral particle assembly. We have measured the dynamics of HCV core protein-mediated changes in LDs and rates of LD movement on microtubules using a combination of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), two-photon fluorescence (TPF), and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopies. Results show that the HCV core protein induces rapid increases in LD size. Particle tracking experiments show that HCV core protein slowly affects LD localization by controlling the directionality of LD movement on microtubules. These dynamic processes ultimately aid HCV in propagating and the molecules and interactions involved represent novel targets for potential therapeutic intervention.« less

Integrated Photonics Research Topical Meeting (1993)

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

81 DMD Time Domain Methods .................................. 107 IME Photonic Circuits and Lightwave Reception...index change near the band edge using a small interference -ellipsometry bridge and presented several results of nt of refractive index change An[51. In... interference -ellipsometry bridge at the photon energies near Eg, especially E>Eg, and compared to previous theories. [11. Manning, R Olshans]y, and C. B. Su

Nonlocal polarization interferometer for entanglement detection

DOE PAGES

Williams, Brian P.; Humble, Travis S.; Grice, Warren P.

2014-10-30

We report a nonlocal interferometer capable of detecting entanglement and identifying Bell states statistically. This is possible due to the interferometer's unique correlation dependence on the antidiagonal elements of the density matrix, which have distinct bounds for separable states and unique values for the four Bell states. The interferometer consists of two spatially separated balanced Mach-Zehnder or Sagnac interferometers that share a polarization-entangled source. Correlations between these interferometers exhibit nonlocal interference, while single-photon interference is suppressed. This interferometer also allows for a unique version of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt Bell test where the local reality is the photon polarization. In conclusion, wemore » present the relevant theory and experimental results.« less

Quantum erasure with causally disconnected choice.

PubMed

Ma, Xiao-Song; Kofler, Johannes; Qarry, Angie; Tetik, Nuray; Scheidl, Thomas; Ursin, Rupert; Ramelow, Sven; Herbst, Thomas; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Fedrizzi, Alessandro; Jennewein, Thomas; Zeilinger, Anton

2013-01-22

The counterintuitive features of quantum physics challenge many common-sense assumptions. In an interferometric quantum eraser experiment, one can actively choose whether or not to erase which-path information (a particle feature) of one quantum system and thus observe its wave feature via interference or not by performing a suitable measurement on a distant quantum system entangled with it. In all experiments performed to date, this choice took place either in the past or, in some delayed-choice arrangements, in the future of the interference. Thus, in principle, physical communications between choice and interference were not excluded. Here, we report a quantum eraser experiment in which, by enforcing Einstein locality, no such communication is possible. This is achieved by independent active choices, which are space-like separated from the interference. Our setup employs hybrid path-polarization entangled photon pairs, which are distributed over an optical fiber link of 55 m in one experiment, or over a free-space link of 144 km in another. No naive realistic picture is compatible with our results because whether a quantum could be seen as showing particle- or wave-like behavior would depend on a causally disconnected choice. It is therefore suggestive to abandon such pictures altogether.

Quantum erasure with causally disconnected choice

PubMed Central

Ma, Xiao-Song; Kofler, Johannes; Qarry, Angie; Tetik, Nuray; Scheidl, Thomas; Ursin, Rupert; Ramelow, Sven; Herbst, Thomas; Ratschbacher, Lothar; Fedrizzi, Alessandro; Jennewein, Thomas; Zeilinger, Anton

2013-01-01

The counterintuitive features of quantum physics challenge many common-sense assumptions. In an interferometric quantum eraser experiment, one can actively choose whether or not to erase which-path information (a particle feature) of one quantum system and thus observe its wave feature via interference or not by performing a suitable measurement on a distant quantum system entangled with it. In all experiments performed to date, this choice took place either in the past or, in some delayed-choice arrangements, in the future of the interference. Thus, in principle, physical communications between choice and interference were not excluded. Here, we report a quantum eraser experiment in which, by enforcing Einstein locality, no such communication is possible. This is achieved by independent active choices, which are space-like separated from the interference. Our setup employs hybrid path-polarization entangled photon pairs, which are distributed over an optical fiber link of 55 m in one experiment, or over a free-space link of 144 km in another. No naive realistic picture is compatible with our results because whether a quantum could be seen as showing particle- or wave-like behavior would depend on a causally disconnected choice. It is therefore suggestive to abandon such pictures altogether. PMID:23288900

Intelligent Luminescence for Communication Display and Identification

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-18

34Fabrication of two-dimensional photonic crystals using interference lithography and electrodeposition of CdSe," Appl. Phys. Letts. 79, 3392-3394 (2001). 7...studies were performed on holographically derived structures fonned in SUS by a four-laser beam interference pattern. As shown in Figure 7 a SUS polymer...dielectric material, as patterned by electron-beam lithography , consisting of a periodic dielectric modulation with integrated line, point and

Rapid creation of distant entanglement by multi-photon resonant fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Guy Z.; Sham, L. J.

2014-03-01

We study a simple, effective and robust method for entangling two separate stationary quantum dot spin qubits with high fidelity using multi-photon Gaussian state. The fluorescence signals from the two dots interfere at a beam splitter. The bosonic nature of photons leads, in analogy with the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect, to selective pairing of photon holes (photon absences in the fluorescent signals). By the HOM effect, two photon holes with the same polarization end up at the same beam splitter output. As a result, two odd photon number detections at the outgoing beams, which must correspond to two photon holes with different polarizations, herald entanglement creation. The robustness of the Gaussian states is evidenced by the ability to compensate for photon absorption and noise by a moderate increase in the number of photons at the input. We calculate the entanglement generation rate in the ideal, non-ideal and near-ideal detector regimes and find substantial improvement over single-photon schemes in all three regimes. Fast and efficient spin-spin entanglement creation can form the basis for a scalable quantum dot quantum computing network. Our predictions can be tested using current experimental capabilities. This research was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office MURI award W911NF0910406, by NSF grant PHY-1104446 and by ARO (IARPA, W911NF-08-1-0487). The authors thank D. G. Steel for useful discussions.

Simultaneous strain and temperature measure based on a single suspended core photonic crystal fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rota-Rodrigo, S.; López-Amo, M.; Kobelke, J.; Schuster, K.; Santos, J. L.; Frazão, O.

2014-05-01

In this work a simultaneous strain and temperature sensor based on a suspended core fiber is proposed. The sensor comprises a 3mm suspended core PCF between SMFs and is based on the combination of two multimodal interferences with different frequency fringe patterns. The interference of the both signal has different sensitivity responses to strain and temperature. Thought a low-pass frequency filtering of the detected spectrum, the wavelength shift of the two interferences can be measured allowing the discrimination of strain and temperature simultaneously. The resolutions of this sensor are 0.45 ºC and 4.02 μɛ.

Experimental Study of Electronic Quantum Interference, Photonic Crystal Cavity, Photonic Band Edge Effects for Optical Amplification

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-26

MONITOR’S REPORT Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776 NUMBER(S) AFRL -RV-PS-TR-2016-0003 12. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release...22060-6218 1 cy AFRL /RVIL Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776 2 cys Official Record Copy AFRL /RVSS/David Cardimona 1 cy 12 Approved for... AFRL -RV-PS- AFRL -RV-PS- TR-2016-0003 TR-2016-0003 EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ELECTRONIC QUANTUM INTERFERENCE, PHOTONIC CRYSTAL CAVITY, PHOTONIC BAND

Research on spectrum broadening covering visible light of a fiber femtosecond optical frequency comb for absolute frequency measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Shuai; Wu, Tengfei; Li, Shuyi; Xia, Chuanqing; Han, Jibo; Zhang, Lei; Zhao, Chunbo

2018-03-01

As a bridge connecting microwave frequency and optical frequency, femtosecond laser has important significance in optical frequency measurement. Compared with the traditional Ti-sapphire femtosecond optical frequency comb, with the advantages of compact structure, strong anti-interference ability and low cost, the fiber femtosecond optical frequency comb has a wider application prospect. An experiment of spectrum broadening in a highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber pumped by an Er-fiber mode-locked femtosecond laser is studied in this paper. Based on optical amplification and frequency doubling, the central wavelength of the output spectrum is 780nm and the average power is 232mW. With the femtosecond pulses coupled into two different photonic crystal fibers, the coverage of visible spectrum is up to 500nm-960nm. The spectral shape and width can be optimized by changing the polarization state for satisfying the requirments of different optical frequencies measurement.

Quantum interference experiments with large molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nairz, Olaf; Arndt, Markus; Zeilinger, Anton

2003-04-01

Wave-particle duality is frequently the first topic students encounter in elementary quantum physics. Although this phenomenon has been demonstrated with photons, electrons, neutrons, and atoms, the dual quantum character of the famous double-slit experiment can be best explained with the largest and most classical objects, which are currently the fullerene molecules. The soccer-ball-shaped carbon cages C60 are large, massive, and appealing objects for which it is clear that they must behave like particles under ordinary circumstances. We present the results of a multislit diffraction experiment with such objects to demonstrate their wave nature. The experiment serves as the basis for a discussion of several quantum concepts such as coherence, randomness, complementarity, and wave-particle duality. In particular, the effect of longitudinal (spectral) coherence can be demonstrated by a direct comparison of interferograms obtained with a thermal beam and a velocity selected beam in close analogy to the usual two-slit experiments using light.

Interference lithography for optical devices and coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhl, Abigail Therese

Interference lithography can create large-area, defect-free nanostructures with unique optical properties. In this thesis, interference lithography will be utilized to create photonic crystals for functional devices or coatings. For instance, typical lithographic processing techniques were used to create 1, 2 and 3 dimensional photonic crystals in SU8 photoresist. These structures were in-filled with birefringent liquid crystal to make active devices, and the orientation of the liquid crystal directors within the SU8 matrix was studied. Most of this thesis will be focused on utilizing polymerization induced phase separation as a single-step method for fabrication by interference lithography. For example, layered polymer/nanoparticle composites have been created through the one-step two-beam interference lithographic exposure of a dispersion of 25 and 50 nm silica particles within a photopolymerizable mixture at a wavelength of 532 nm. In the areas of constructive interference, the monomer begins to polymerize via a free-radical process and concurrently the nanoparticles move into the regions of destructive interference. The holographic exposure of the particles within the monomer resin offers a single-step method to anisotropically structure the nanoconstituents within a composite. A one-step holographic exposure was also used to fabricate self-healing coatings that use water from the environment to catalyze polymerization. Polymerization induced phase separation was used to sequester an isocyanate monomer within an acrylate matrix. Due to the periodic modulation of the index of refraction between the monomer and polymer, the coating can reflect a desired wavelength, allowing for tunable coloration. When the coating is scratched, polymerization of the liquid isocyanate is catalyzed by moisture in air; if the indices of the two polymers are matched, the coatings turn transparent after healing. Interference lithography offers a method of creating multifunctional self-healing coatings that readout when damage has occurred.

Polarization control in flexible interference lithography for nano-patterning of different photonic structures with optimized contrast.

PubMed

He, Jianfang; Fang, Xiaohui; Lin, Yuanhai; Zhang, Xinping

2015-05-04

Half-wave plates were introduced into an interference-lithography scheme consisting of three fibers that were arranged into a rectangular triangle. Such a flexible and compact geometry allows convenient tuning of the polarizations of both the UV laser source and each branch arm. This not only enables optimization of the contrast of the produced photonic structures with expected square lattices, but also multiplies the nano-patterning functions of a fixed design of fiber-based interference lithography. The patterns of the photonic structures can be thus tuned simply by rotating a half-wave plate.

Effect of pulse temporal shape on optical trapping and impulse transfer using ultrashort pulsed lasers.

PubMed

Shane, Janelle C; Mazilu, Michael; Lee, Woei Ming; Dholakia, Kishan

2010-03-29

We investigate the effects of pulse duration on optical trapping with high repetition rate ultrashort pulsed lasers, through Lorentz-Mie theory, numerical simulation, and experiment. Optical trapping experiments use a 12 femtosecond duration infrared pulsed laser, with the trapping microscope's temporal dispersive effects measured and corrected using the Multiphoton Intrapulse Interference Phase Scan method. We apply pulse shaping to reproducibly stretch pulse duration by 1.5 orders of magnitude and find no material-independent effects of pulse temporal profile on optical trapping of 780nm silica particles, in agreement with our theory and simulation. Using pulse shaping, we control two-photon fluorescence in trapped fluorescent particles, opening the door to other coherent control applications with trapped particles.

Modeling Conformal Growth in Photonic Crystals and Comparing to Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brzezinski, Andrew; Chen, Ying-Chieh; Wiltzius, Pierre; Braun, Paul

2008-03-01

Conformal growth, e.g. atomic layer deposition (ALD), of materials such as silicon and TiO2 on three dimensional (3D) templates is important for making photonic crystals. However, reliable calculations of optical properties as a function of the conformal growth, such as the optical band structure, are hampered by difficultly in accurately assessing a deposited material's spatial distribution. A widely used approximation ignores ``pinch off'' of precursor gas and assumes complete template infilling. Another approximation results in non-uniform growth velocity by employing iso-intensity surfaces of the 3D interference pattern used to create the template. We have developed an accurate model of conformal growth in arbitrary 3D periodic structures, allowing for arbitrary surface orientation. Results are compared with the above approximations and with experimentally fabricated photonic crystals. We use an SU8 polymer template created by 4-beam interference lithography, onto which various amounts of TiO2 are grown by ALD. Characterization is performed by analysis of cross-sectional scanning electron micrographs and by solid angle resolved optical spectroscopy.

Photonic-assisted microwave signal multiplication and modulation using a silicon Mach–Zehnder modulator

PubMed Central

Long, Yun; Zhou, Linjie; Wang, Jian

2016-01-01

Photonic generation of microwave signal is obviously attractive for many prominent advantages, such as large bandwidth, low loss, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. Based on a single integrated silicon Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM), we propose and experimentally demonstrate a simple and compact photonic scheme to enable frequency-multiplicated microwave signal. Using the fabricated integrated MZM, we also demonstrate the feasibility of microwave amplitude-shift keying (ASK) modulation based on integrated photonic approach. In proof-of-concept experiments, 2-GHz frequency-doubled microwave signal is generated using a 1-GHz driving signal. 750-MHz/1-GHz frequency-tripled/quadrupled microwave signals are obtained with a driving signal of 250 MHz. In addition, a 50-Mb/s binary amplitude coded 1-GHz microwave signal is also successfully generated. PMID:26832305

Suppression law of quantum states in a 3D photonic fast Fourier transform chip

PubMed Central

Crespi, Andrea; Osellame, Roberto; Ramponi, Roberta; Bentivegna, Marco; Flamini, Fulvio; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Viggianiello, Niko; Innocenti, Luca; Mataloni, Paolo; Sciarrino, Fabio

2016-01-01

The identification of phenomena able to pinpoint quantum interference is attracting large interest. Indeed, a generalization of the Hong–Ou–Mandel effect valid for any number of photons and optical modes would represent an important leap ahead both from a fundamental perspective and for practical applications, such as certification of photonic quantum devices, whose computational speedup is expected to depend critically on multi-particle interference. Quantum distinctive features have been predicted for many particles injected into multimode interferometers implementing the Fourier transform over the optical modes. Here we develop a scalable approach for the implementation of the fast Fourier transform algorithm using three-dimensional photonic integrated interferometers, fabricated via femtosecond laser writing technique. We observe the suppression law for a large number of output states with four- and eight-mode optical circuits: the experimental results demonstrate genuine quantum interference between the injected photons, thus offering a powerful tool for diagnostic of photonic platforms. PMID:26843135

From double-slit interference to structural information in simple hydrocarbons

PubMed Central

Kushawaha, Rajesh Kumar; Patanen, Minna; Guillemin, Renaud; Journel, Loic; Miron, Catalin; Simon, Marc; Piancastelli, Maria Novella; Skates, C.; Decleva, Piero

2013-01-01

Interferences in coherent emission of photoelectrons from two equivalent atomic centers in a molecule are the microscopic analogies of the celebrated Young’s double-slit experiment. By considering inner-valence shell ionization in the series of simple hydrocarbons C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6, we show that double-slit interference is widespread and has built-in quantitative information on geometry, orbital composition, and many-body effects. A theoretical and experimental study is presented over the photon energy range of 70–700 eV. A strong dependence of the oscillation period on the C–C distance is observed, which can be used to determine bond lengths between selected pairs of equivalent atoms with an accuracy of at least 0.01 Å. Furthermore, we show that the observed oscillations are directly informative of the nature and atomic composition of the inner-valence molecular orbitals and that observed ratios are quantitative measures of elusive many-body effects. The technique and analysis can be immediately extended to a large class of compounds. PMID:24003155

Experimental controlled-NOT gate simulation with thermal light

PubMed Central

Peng, Tao; Tamma, Vincenzo; Shih, Yanhua

2016-01-01

We report a recent experimental simulation of a controlled-NOT gate operation based on polarization correlation measurements of thermal fields in photon-number fluctuations. The interference between pairs of correlated paths at the very heart of these experiments has the potential for the simulation of correlations between a larger number of qubits. PMID:27439330

Rapid creation of distant entanglement by multiphoton resonant fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Guy Z.; Sham, L. J.

2013-12-01

We study a simple, effective, and robust method for entangling two separate stationary quantum dot spin qubits with high fidelity using multiphoton Gaussian state. The fluorescence signals from the two dots interfere at a beam splitter. The bosonic nature of photons leads, in analogy with the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect, to selective pairing of photon holes (photon absences in the fluorescent signals). As a result, two odd photon number detections at the outgoing beams herald trion entanglement creation, and subsequent reduction of the trions to the spin ground states leads to spin-spin entanglement. The robustness of the Gaussian states is evidenced by the ability to compensate for photon absorption and noise by a moderate increase in the number of photons at the input. We calculate the entanglement generation rate in the ideal, nonideal, and near-ideal detector regimes and find substantial improvement over single-photon schemes in all three regimes. Fast and efficient spin-spin entanglement creation can form the basis for a scalable quantum dot quantum computing network. Our predictions can be tested using current experimental capabilities.

Exciton interference revealed by energy dependent exciton transfer rate for ring-structured molecular systems.

PubMed

Yan, Yun-An

2016-01-14

The quantum interference is an intrinsic phenomenon in quantum physics for photon and massive quantum particles. In principle, the quantum interference may also occur with quasi-particles, such as the exciton. In this study, we show how the exciton quantum interference can be significant in aggregates through theoretical simulations with hierarchical equations of motion. The systems under investigation are generalized donor-bridge-acceptor model aggregates with the donor consisting of six homogeneous sites assuming the nearest neighbor coupling. For the models with single-path bridge, the exciton transfer time only shows a weak excitation energy dependence. But models with double-path bridge have a new short transfer time scale and the excitation energy dependence of the exciton transfer time assumes clear peak structure which is detectable with today's nonlinear spectroscopy. This abnormality is attributed to the exciton quantum interference and the condition for a clear observation in experiment is also explored.

Experimental scattershot boson sampling

PubMed Central

Bentivegna, Marco; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Vitelli, Chiara; Flamini, Fulvio; Viggianiello, Niko; Latmiral, Ludovico; Mataloni, Paolo; Brod, Daniel J.; Galvão, Ernesto F.; Crespi, Andrea; Ramponi, Roberta; Osellame, Roberto; Sciarrino, Fabio

2015-01-01

Boson sampling is a computational task strongly believed to be hard for classical computers, but efficiently solvable by orchestrated bosonic interference in a specialized quantum computer. Current experimental schemes, however, are still insufficient for a convincing demonstration of the advantage of quantum over classical computation. A new variation of this task, scattershot boson sampling, leads to an exponential increase in speed of the quantum device, using a larger number of photon sources based on parametric down-conversion. This is achieved by having multiple heralded single photons being sent, shot by shot, into different random input ports of the interferometer. We report the first scattershot boson sampling experiments, where six different photon-pair sources are coupled to integrated photonic circuits. We use recently proposed statistical tools to analyze our experimental data, providing strong evidence that our photonic quantum simulator works as expected. This approach represents an important leap toward a convincing experimental demonstration of the quantum computational supremacy. PMID:26601164

Experimental scattershot boson sampling.

PubMed

Bentivegna, Marco; Spagnolo, Nicolò; Vitelli, Chiara; Flamini, Fulvio; Viggianiello, Niko; Latmiral, Ludovico; Mataloni, Paolo; Brod, Daniel J; Galvão, Ernesto F; Crespi, Andrea; Ramponi, Roberta; Osellame, Roberto; Sciarrino, Fabio

2015-04-01

Boson sampling is a computational task strongly believed to be hard for classical computers, but efficiently solvable by orchestrated bosonic interference in a specialized quantum computer. Current experimental schemes, however, are still insufficient for a convincing demonstration of the advantage of quantum over classical computation. A new variation of this task, scattershot boson sampling, leads to an exponential increase in speed of the quantum device, using a larger number of photon sources based on parametric down-conversion. This is achieved by having multiple heralded single photons being sent, shot by shot, into different random input ports of the interferometer. We report the first scattershot boson sampling experiments, where six different photon-pair sources are coupled to integrated photonic circuits. We use recently proposed statistical tools to analyze our experimental data, providing strong evidence that our photonic quantum simulator works as expected. This approach represents an important leap toward a convincing experimental demonstration of the quantum computational supremacy.

Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference

PubMed Central

Magaña-Loaiza, Omar S; De Leon, Israel; Mirhosseini, Mohammad; Fickler, Robert; Safari, Akbar; Mick, Uwe; McIntyre, Brian; Banzer, Peter; Rodenburg, Brandon; Leuchs, Gerd; Boyd, Robert W.

2016-01-01

The validity of the superposition principle and of Born's rule are well-accepted tenants of quantum mechanics. Surprisingly, it has been predicted that the intensity pattern formed in a three-slit experiment is seemingly in contradiction with the most conventional form of the superposition principle when exotic looped trajectories are taken into account. However, the probability of observing such paths is typically very small, thus rendering them extremely difficult to measure. Here we confirm the validity of Born's rule and present the first experimental observation of exotic trajectories as additional paths for the light by directly measuring their contribution to the formation of optical interference fringes. We accomplish this by enhancing the electromagnetic near-fields in the vicinity of the slits through the excitation of surface plasmons. This process increases the probability of occurrence of these exotic trajectories, demonstrating that they are related to the near-field component of the photon's wavefunction. PMID:28008907

Exotic looped trajectories of photons in three-slit interference.

PubMed

Magaña-Loaiza, Omar S; De Leon, Israel; Mirhosseini, Mohammad; Fickler, Robert; Safari, Akbar; Mick, Uwe; McIntyre, Brian; Banzer, Peter; Rodenburg, Brandon; Leuchs, Gerd; Boyd, Robert W

2016-12-23

The validity of the superposition principle and of Born's rule are well-accepted tenants of quantum mechanics. Surprisingly, it has been predicted that the intensity pattern formed in a three-slit experiment is seemingly in contradiction with the most conventional form of the superposition principle when exotic looped trajectories are taken into account. However, the probability of observing such paths is typically very small, thus rendering them extremely difficult to measure. Here we confirm the validity of Born's rule and present the first experimental observation of exotic trajectories as additional paths for the light by directly measuring their contribution to the formation of optical interference fringes. We accomplish this by enhancing the electromagnetic near-fields in the vicinity of the slits through the excitation of surface plasmons. This process increases the probability of occurrence of these exotic trajectories, demonstrating that they are related to the near-field component of the photon's wavefunction.

Ghost imaging with atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khakimov, R. I.; Henson, B. M.; Shin, D. K.; Hodgman, S. S.; Dall, R. G.; Baldwin, K. G. H.; Truscott, A. G.

2016-12-01

Ghost imaging is a counter-intuitive phenomenon—first realized in quantum optics—that enables the image of a two-dimensional object (mask) to be reconstructed using the spatio-temporal properties of a beam of particles with which it never interacts. Typically, two beams of correlated photons are used: one passes through the mask to a single-pixel (bucket) detector while the spatial profile of the other is measured by a high-resolution (multi-pixel) detector. The second beam never interacts with the mask. Neither detector can reconstruct the mask independently, but temporal cross-correlation between the two beams can be used to recover a ‘ghost’ image. Here we report the realization of ghost imaging using massive particles instead of photons. In our experiment, the two beams are formed by correlated pairs of ultracold, metastable helium atoms, which originate from s-wave scattering of two colliding Bose-Einstein condensates. We use higher-order Kapitza-Dirac scattering to generate a large number of correlated atom pairs, enabling the creation of a clear ghost image with submillimetre resolution. Future extensions of our technique could lead to the realization of ghost interference, and enable tests of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement and Bell’s inequalities with atoms.

Two-photon x-ray diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stohr, J.

The interference pattern of a circular photon source has long been used to define the optical diffraction limit. Here we show the breakdown of conventional x-ray diffraction theory for the fundamental case of a “source”, consisting of a back-illuminated thin film in a circular aperture. When the conventional spontaneous x-ray scattering by atoms in the film is replaced at high incident intensity by stimulated resonant scattering, the film becomes the source of cloned photon twins and the diffraction pattern becomes self-focused beyond the diffraction limit. Furthermore, the case of cloned photon pairs is compared to and distinguished from entangled photonmore » pairs or biphotons.« less

Two-photon x-ray diffraction

DOE PAGES

Stohr, J.

2017-01-11

The interference pattern of a circular photon source has long been used to define the optical diffraction limit. Here we show the breakdown of conventional x-ray diffraction theory for the fundamental case of a “source”, consisting of a back-illuminated thin film in a circular aperture. When the conventional spontaneous x-ray scattering by atoms in the film is replaced at high incident intensity by stimulated resonant scattering, the film becomes the source of cloned photon twins and the diffraction pattern becomes self-focused beyond the diffraction limit. Furthermore, the case of cloned photon pairs is compared to and distinguished from entangled photonmore » pairs or biphotons.« less

Observation of two-center interference effects for electron impact ionization of N2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaluvadi, Hari; Nur Ozer, Zehra; Dogan, Mevlut; Ning, Chuangang; Colgan, James; Madison, Don

2015-08-01

In 1966, Cohen and Fano (1966 Phys. Rev. 150 30) suggested that one should be able to observe the equivalent of Young’s double slit interference if the double slits were replaced by a diatomic molecule. This suggestion inspired many experimental and theoretical studies searching for double slit interference effects both for photon and particle ionization of diatomic molecules. These effects turned out to be so small for particle ionization that this work proceeded slowly and evidence for interference effects were only found by looking at cross section ratios. Most of the early particle work concentrated on double differential cross sections for heavy particle scattering and the first evidence for two-center interference for electron-impact triple differential cross section (TDCS) did not appear until 2006 for ionization of H2. Subsequent work has now firmly established that two-center interference effects can be seen in the TDCS for electron-impact ionization of H2. However, in spite of several experimental and theoretical studies, similar effects have not been found for electron-impact ionization of N2. Here we report the first evidence for two-center interference for electron-impact ionization of N2.

Faithful state transfer between two-level systems via an actively cooled finite-temperature cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sárkány, Lőrinc; Fortágh, József; Petrosyan, David

2018-03-01

We consider state transfer between two qubits—effective two-level systems represented by Rydberg atoms—via a common mode of a microwave cavity at finite temperature. We find that when both qubits have the same coupling strength to the cavity field, at large enough detuning from the cavity mode frequency, quantum interference between the transition paths makes the swap of the excitation between the qubits largely insensitive to the number of thermal photons in the cavity. When, however, the coupling strengths are different, the photon-number-dependent differential Stark shift of the transition frequencies precludes efficient transfer. Nevertheless, using an auxiliary cooling system to continuously extract the cavity photons, we can still achieve a high-fidelity state transfer between the qubits.

Development of Thermally Stable and Highly Fluorescent IR Dyes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bu, Xiu R.

2004-01-01

Fluorophores are the core component in various optical applications such as sensors and probes. Fluorphores with low-energy or long wavelength emission, in particular, in NIR region, possess advantages of low interference and high sensitivity. In this study, we has explored several classes of imidazole-based compounds for NIR fluorescent properties and concluded: (1) thiazole-based imidazole compounds are fluorescent; (2) emission energy is tunable by additional donor groups; (3) they also possess impressive two- photon absorption properties; and (4) fluorescence emission can be induced by two- photon input. This report summarizes (1) synthesis of new series of fluorophore; (2) impact of electron-withdrawing groups on fluorescent property; (3) unique property of two-photon absorption; and (4) on-going development.

Holographic fabrication of 3D photonic crystals through interference of multi-beams with 4 + 1, 5 + 1 and 6 + 1 configurations.

PubMed

George, D; Lutkenhaus, J; Lowell, D; Moazzezi, M; Adewole, M; Philipose, U; Zhang, H; Poole, Z L; Chen, K P; Lin, Y

2014-09-22

In this paper, we are able to fabricate 3D photonic crystals or quasi-crystals through single beam and single optical element based holographic lithography. The reflective optical elements are used to generate multiple side beams with s-polarization and one central beam with circular polarization which in turn are used for interference based holographic lithography without the need of any other bulk optics. These optical elements have been used to fabricate 3D photonic crystals with 4, 5 or 6-fold symmetry. A good agreement has been observed between fabricated holographic structures and simulated interference patterns.

On-chip coherent conversion of photonic quantum entanglement between different degrees of freedom

PubMed Central

Feng, Lan-Tian; Zhang, Ming; Zhou, Zhi-Yuan; Li, Ming; Xiong, Xiao; Yu, Le; Shi, Bao-Sen; Guo, Guo-Ping; Dai, Dao-Xin; Ren, Xi-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can

2016-01-01

In the quantum world, a single particle can have various degrees of freedom to encode quantum information. Controlling multiple degrees of freedom simultaneously is necessary to describe a particle fully and, therefore, to use it more efficiently. Here we introduce the transverse waveguide-mode degree of freedom to quantum photonic integrated circuits, and demonstrate the coherent conversion of a photonic quantum state between path, polarization and transverse waveguide-mode degrees of freedom on a single chip. The preservation of quantum coherence in these conversion processes is proven by single-photon and two-photon quantum interference using a fibre beam splitter or on-chip beam splitters. These results provide us with the ability to control and convert multiple degrees of freedom of photons for quantum photonic integrated circuit-based quantum information process. PMID:27321821

On-chip coherent conversion of photonic quantum entanglement between different degrees of freedom.

PubMed

Feng, Lan-Tian; Zhang, Ming; Zhou, Zhi-Yuan; Li, Ming; Xiong, Xiao; Yu, Le; Shi, Bao-Sen; Guo, Guo-Ping; Dai, Dao-Xin; Ren, Xi-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can

2016-06-20

In the quantum world, a single particle can have various degrees of freedom to encode quantum information. Controlling multiple degrees of freedom simultaneously is necessary to describe a particle fully and, therefore, to use it more efficiently. Here we introduce the transverse waveguide-mode degree of freedom to quantum photonic integrated circuits, and demonstrate the coherent conversion of a photonic quantum state between path, polarization and transverse waveguide-mode degrees of freedom on a single chip. The preservation of quantum coherence in these conversion processes is proven by single-photon and two-photon quantum interference using a fibre beam splitter or on-chip beam splitters. These results provide us with the ability to control and convert multiple degrees of freedom of photons for quantum photonic integrated circuit-based quantum information process.

Berry phase in controlled light propagation and storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raczyński, Andrzej; Zaremba, Jarosław; Zielińska-Raczyńska, Sylwia

2018-04-01

It is shown that during light storage in an atomic medium in the Λ configuration, with not only the amplitude of the control field but also its phase changing adiabatically, a photon gains a Berry (geometric) phase. In the case of the tripod configuration with two probe fields the Berry phase is replaced by a 2 ×2 matrix. The probe fields are shown to be superpositions of two modes, each of them being characterized not only by its own velocity but also by its own Berry phase. If after light storage photons are released backwards, the contributions of the two modes interfere and the distribution of the outgoing photons can be steered by changing the difference between the Berry phases of the modes, due to the choice of the control field at the storage and release stages. In particular, one can turn a single photon of one of the probe fields into a photon of the other field or essentially modify coherent states of the incoming pulses.

Analysis of deterministic swapping of photonic and atomic states through single-photon Raman interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenblum, Serge; Borne, Adrien; Dayan, Barak

2017-03-01

The long-standing goal of deterministic quantum interactions between single photons and single atoms was recently realized in various experiments. Among these, an appealing demonstration relied on single-photon Raman interaction (SPRINT) in a three-level atom coupled to a single-mode waveguide. In essence, the interference-based process of SPRINT deterministically swaps the qubits encoded in a single photon and a single atom, without the need for additional control pulses. It can also be harnessed to construct passive entangling quantum gates, and can therefore form the basis for scalable quantum networks in which communication between the nodes is carried out only by single-photon pulses. Here we present an analytical and numerical study of SPRINT, characterizing its limitations and defining parameters for its optimal operation. Specifically, we study the effect of losses, imperfect polarization, and the presence of multiple excited states. In all cases we discuss strategies for restoring the operation of SPRINT.

Photon-momentum transfer in molecular photoionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chelkowski, Szczepan; Bandrauk, André D.

2018-05-01

In most models and theoretical calculations describing multiphoton ionization by infrared light, the dipole approximation is used. This is equivalent to setting the very small photon momentum to zero. Using numerical solutions of the (nondipole) three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation for one electron in a H2+ molecular ion we investigate the effect the photon-momentum transfer to the photoelectron in an H2+ ion in various regimes. We find that the photon-momentum transfer in a molecule is very different from the transfer in atoms due to two-center interference effects. The photon-momentum transfer is very sensitive to the symmetry of the initial electronic state and is strongly dependent on the internuclear distance and on the ellipticity of the laser.

Fiber-optics implementation of an asymmetric phase-covariant quantum cloner.

PubMed

Bartůsková, Lucie; Dusek, Miloslav; Cernoch, Antonín; Soubusta, Jan; Fiurásek, Jaromír

2007-09-21

We present the experimental realization of optimal symmetric and asymmetric phase-covariant 1-->2 cloning of qubit states using fiber optics. The state of each qubit is encoded into a single photon which can propagate through two optical fibers. The operation of our device is based on one- and two-photon interference. We have demonstrated the creation of two copies for a wide range of qubit states from the equator of the Bloch sphere. The measured fidelities of both copies are close to the theoretical values and they surpass the theoretical maximum obtainable with the universal cloner.

Fabrication and Characterization of Three Dimensional Photonic Crystals Generated by Multibeam Interference Lithography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ying-Chieh

2009-01-01

Multibeam interference lithography is investigated as a manufacturing technique for three-dimensional photonic crystal templates. In this research, optimization of the optical setup and the photoresist initiation system leads to a significant improvement of the optical quality of the crystal, as characterized by normal incidence optical…

Quantum interference of independently generated telecom-band single photons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patel, Monika; Altepeter, Joseph B.; Huang, Yu-Ping

We report on high-visibility quantum interference of independently generated telecom O-band (1310 nm) single photons using standard single-mode fibers. The experimental data are shown to agree well with the results of simulations using a comprehensive quantum multimode theory without the need for any fitting parameter.

Fabrication of submicron metallic grids with interference and phase-mask holography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Joong-Mok; Kim, Tae-Geun; Constant, Kristen

2011-01-25

Complex, submicron Cu metallic mesh nanostructures are made by electrochemical deposition using polymer templates made from photoresist. The polymer templates are fabricated with photoresist using two-beam interference holography and phase mask holography with three diffracted beams. Freestanding metallic mesh structures are made in two separate electrodepositions with perpendicular photoresist grating templates. Cu mesh square nanostructures having large (52.6%) open areas are also made by single electrodeposition with a photoresist template made with a phase mask. These structures have potential as electrodes in photonic devices.

Modification of optical properties by adiabatic shifting of resonances in a four-level atom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutta, Bibhas Kumar; Panchadhyayee, Pradipta

2018-04-01

We describe the linear and nonlinear optical properties of a four-level atomic system, after reducing it to an effective two-level atomic model under the condition of adiabatic shifting of resonances driven by two coherent off-resonant fields. The reduced form of the Hamiltonian corresponding to the two-level system is obtained by employing an adiabatic elimination procedure in the rate equations of the probability amplitudes for the proposed four-level model. For a weak probe field operating in the system, the nonlinear dependence of complex susceptibility on the Rabi frequencies and the detuning parameters of the off-resonant driving fields makes it possible to exhibit coherent control of single-photon and two-photon absorption and transparency, the evolution of enhanced Self-Kerr nonlinearity and noticeable dispersive switching. We have shown how the quantum interference results in the generic four-level model at the adiabatic limit. The present scheme describes the appearance of single-photon transparency without invoking any exact two-photon resonance.

Imaging nanowire plasmon modes with two-photon polymerization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gruber, Christian; Trügler, Andreas; Hohenester, Ulrich

2015-02-23

Metal nanowires sustain propagating surface plasmons that are strongly confined to the wire surface. Plasmon reflection at the wire end faces and interference lead to standing plasmon modes. We demonstrate that these modes can be imaged via two-photon (plasmon) polymerization of a thin film resist covering the wires and subsequent electron microscopy. Thereby, the plasmon wavelength and the phase shift of the nanowire mode picked up upon reflection can be directly retrieved. In general terms, polymerization imaging is a promising tool for the imaging of propagating plasmon modes from the nano- to micro-scale.

Transfer of micro and nano-photonic silicon nanomembrane waveguide devices on flexible substrates.

PubMed

Ghaffari, Afshin; Hosseini, Amir; Xu, Xiaochuan; Kwong, David; Subbaraman, Harish; Chen, Ray T

2010-09-13

This paper demonstrates transfer of optical devices without extra un-patterned silicon onto low-cost, flexible plastic substrates using single-crystal silicon nanomembranes. Employing this transfer technique, stacking two layers of silicon nanomembranes with photonic crystal waveguide in the first layer and multi mode interference couplers in the second layer is shown, respectively. This technique is promising to realize high density integration of multilayer hybrid structures on flexible substrates.

Investigation on bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects of photonic crystal structure in GaN/InGaN LEDs for light extraction.

PubMed

Patra, Saroj Kanta; Adhikari, Sonachand; Pal, Suchandan

2014-06-20

In this paper, we have made a clear differentiation among bandgap, diffraction, interference, and refraction effects in photonic crystal structures (PhCs). For observing bandgap, diffraction, and refraction effects, PhCs are considered on the top p-GaN surface of light emitting diodes (LEDs), whereas for interference effect, hole type PhCs are considered to be embedded within n-GaN layer of LED. From analysis, it is observed that at a particular lattice periodicity, for which bandgap lies within the wavelength of interest shows a significant light extraction due to inhibition of guided mode. Beyond a certain periodicity, diffraction effect starts dominating and light extraction improves further. The interference effect is observed in embedded photonic crystal LEDs, where depth of etching supports constructive interference of outward light waves. We have also shed light on refraction effects exhibited by the PhCs and whether negative refraction properties of PhCs may be useful in case of LED light extraction.

Quantifying the momentum correlation between two light beams by detecting one

PubMed Central

Hochrainer, Armin; Lahiri, Mayukh; Lapkiewicz, Radek; Lemos, Gabriela Barreto; Zeilinger, Anton

2017-01-01

We report a measurement of the transverse momentum correlation between two photons by detecting only one of them. Our method uses two identical sources in an arrangement in which the phenomenon of induced coherence without induced emission is observed. In this way, we produce an interference pattern in the superposition of one beam from each source. We quantify the transverse momentum correlation by analyzing the visibility of this pattern. Our approach might be useful for the characterization of correlated photon pair sources and may lead to an experimental measure of continuous variable entanglement, which relies on the detection of only one of two entangled particles. PMID:28143940

Quantifying the momentum correlation between two light beams by detecting one.

PubMed

Hochrainer, Armin; Lahiri, Mayukh; Lapkiewicz, Radek; Lemos, Gabriela Barreto; Zeilinger, Anton

2017-02-14

We report a measurement of the transverse momentum correlation between two photons by detecting only one of them. Our method uses two identical sources in an arrangement in which the phenomenon of induced coherence without induced emission is observed. In this way, we produce an interference pattern in the superposition of one beam from each source. We quantify the transverse momentum correlation by analyzing the visibility of this pattern. Our approach might be useful for the characterization of correlated photon pair sources and may lead to an experimental measure of continuous variable entanglement, which relies on the detection of only one of two entangled particles.

Toolbox for the design of LiNbO3-based passive and active integrated quantum circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharapova, P. R.; Luo, K. H.; Herrmann, H.; Reichelt, M.; Meier, T.; Silberhorn, C.

2017-12-01

We present and discuss perspectives of current developments on advanced quantum optical circuits monolithically integrated in the lithium niobate platform. A set of basic components comprising photon pair sources based on parametric down conversion (PDC), passive routing elements and active electro-optically controllable switches and polarisation converters are building blocks of a toolbox which is the basis for a broad range of diverse quantum circuits. We review the state-of-the-art of these components and provide models that properly describe their performance in quantum circuits. As an example for applications of these models we discuss design issues for a circuit providing on-chip two-photon interference. The circuit comprises a PDC section for photon pair generation followed by an actively controllable modified mach-Zehnder structure for observing Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. The performance of such a chip is simulated theoretically by taking even imperfections of the properties of the individual components into account.

Intrinsic Orbital Angular Momentum States of Neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cappelletti, Ronald L.; Jach, Terrence; Vinson, John

2018-03-01

It has been shown that single-particle wave functions, of both photons and electrons, can be created with a phase vortex, i.e., an intrinsic orbital angular momentum (OAM). A recent experiment has claimed similar success using neutrons [C. W. Clark et al., Nature, 525, 504 (2015), 10.1038/nature15265]. We show that their results are insufficient to unambiguously demonstrate OAM, and they can be fully explained as phase contrast interference patterns. Furthermore, given the small transverse coherence length of the neutrons in the original experiment, the probability that any neutron was placed in an OAM state is vanishingly small. We highlight the importance of the relative size of the coherence length, which presents a unique challenge for neutron experiments compared to electron or photon work, and we suggest improvements for the creation of neutron OAM states.

Quantum optics of lossy asymmetric beam splitters.

PubMed

Uppu, Ravitej; Wolterink, Tom A W; Tentrup, Tristan B H; Pinkse, Pepijn W H

2016-07-25

We theoretically investigate quantum interference of two single photons at a lossy asymmetric beam splitter, the most general passive 2×2 optical circuit. The losses in the circuit result in a non-unitary scattering matrix with a non-trivial set of constraints on the elements of the scattering matrix. Our analysis using the noise operator formalism shows that the loss allows tunability of quantum interference to an extent not possible with a lossless beam splitter. Our theoretical studies support the experimental demonstrations of programmable quantum interference in highly multimodal systems such as opaque scattering media and multimode fibers.

Generation of Nonclassical Biphoton States through Cascaded Quantum Walks on a Nonlinear Chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solntsev, Alexander S.; Setzpfandt, Frank; Clark, Alex S.; Wu, Che Wen; Collins, Matthew J.; Xiong, Chunle; Schreiber, Andreas; Katzschmann, Fabian; Eilenberger, Falk; Schiek, Roland; Sohler, Wolfgang; Mitchell, Arnan; Silberhorn, Christine; Eggleton, Benjamin J.; Pertsch, Thomas; Sukhorukov, Andrey A.; Neshev, Dragomir N.; Kivshar, Yuri S.

2014-07-01

We demonstrate a nonlinear optical chip that generates photons with reconfigurable nonclassical spatial correlations. We employ a quadratic nonlinear waveguide array, where photon pairs are generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion and simultaneously spread through quantum walks between the waveguides. Because of the quantum interference of these cascaded quantum walks, the emerging photons can become entangled over multiple waveguide positions. We experimentally observe highly nonclassical photon-pair correlations, confirming the high fidelity of on-chip quantum interference. Furthermore, we demonstrate biphoton-state tunability by spatial shaping and frequency tuning of the classical pump beam.

Comparative study of 2-DOF micromirrors for precision light manipulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Johanna I.; Shkel, Andrei M.

2001-08-01

Many industry experts predict that the future of fiber optic telecommunications depends on the development of all-optical components for switching of photonic signals from fiber to fiber throughout the networks. MEMS is a promising technology for providing all-optical switching at high speeds with significant cost reductions. This paper reports on the the analysis of two designs for 2-DOF electrostatically actuated MEMS micromirrors for precision controllable large optical switching arrays. The behavior of the micromirror designs is predicted by coupled-field electrostatic and modal analysis using a finite element analysis (FEA) multi-physics modeling software. The analysis indicates that the commonly used gimbal type mirror design experiences electrostatic interference and would therefore be difficult to precisely control for 2-DOF motion. We propose a new design approach which preserves 2-DOF actuation while minimizing electrostatic interference between the drive electrodes and the mirror. Instead of using two torsional axes, we use one actuator which combines torsional and flexural DOFs. A comparative analysis of the conventional gimbal design and the one proposed in this paper is performed.

Transmission-line model to design matching stage for light coupling into two-dimensional photonic crystals.

PubMed

Miri, Mehdi; Khavasi, Amin; Mehrany, Khashayar; Rashidian, Bizhan

2010-01-15

The transmission-line analogy of the planar electromagnetic reflection problem is exploited to obtain a transmission-line model that can be used to design effective, robust, and wideband interference-based matching stages. The proposed model based on a new definition for a scalar impedance is obtained by using the reflection coefficient of the zeroth-order diffracted plane wave outside the photonic crystal. It is shown to be accurate for in-band applications, where the normalized frequency is low enough to ensure that the zeroth-order diffracted plane wave is the most important factor in determining the overall reflection. The frequency limitation of employing the proposed approach is explored, highly dispersive photonic crystals are considered, and wideband matching stages based on binomial impedance transformers are designed to work at the first two photonic bands.

Synthetic-lattice enabled all-optical devices based on orbital angular momentum of light.

PubMed

Luo, Xi-Wang; Zhou, Xingxiang; Xu, Jin-Shi; Li, Chuan-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can; Zhang, Chuanwei; Zhou, Zheng-Wei

2017-07-14

All-optical photonic devices are crucial for many important photonic technologies and applications, ranging from optical communication to quantum information processing. Conventional design of all-optical devices is based on photon propagation and interference in real space, which may rely on large numbers of optical elements, and the requirement of precise control makes this approach challenging. Here we propose an unconventional route for engineering all-optical devices using the photon's internal degrees of freedom, which form photonic crystals in such synthetic dimensions for photon propagation and interference. We demonstrate this design concept by showing how important optical devices such as quantum memory and optical filters can be realized using synthetic orbital angular momentum (OAM) lattices in degenerate cavities. The design route utilizing synthetic photonic lattices may significantly reduce the requirement for numerous optical elements and their fine tuning in conventional design, paving the way for realistic all-optical photonic devices with novel functionalities.

Hong-Ou-Mandel Interference Between Triggered And Heralded Single Photons From Separate Atomic Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cere, Alessandro; Leong, Victor; Kaur Gulati, Gurpreet; Srivathsan, Bharath; Kosen, Sandoko; Kurtsiefer, Christian

2015-05-01

The realization of quantum networks and long distance quantum communication rely on the capability of generating entanglement between separated nodes. We demonstrate the compatibility of two different sources of single photons: a single atom and four-wave mixing in a cold cloud of atoms. The four-wave mixing process in a cloud of cold 87Rb generates photon pairs. The cascade level scheme used ensures the generation of heralded single photons with exponentially decaying temporal envelope. The temporal shape of the heralding photons matches the shape of photons emitted by spontaneous decay but for the shorter coherence time A single 87Rb atom is trapped in an far-off-resonance optical dipole trap and can be excited with high probability using a short (~3 ns) intense pulse of resonant light, emitting a single photon by spontaneous decay. A large numerical aperture lens collects ~4% of the total fluorescence. The heralded and the triggered photons are launched into a Houng-Ou-Mandel interferometer: a symmetrical beam-splitter with outputs connected to single photon detectors. Scanning the relative delay between the two sources we observe the HOM dip with a maximum visibility of 70 +/-4%.

Reemission spectra and interference effects at the interaction of multiatomic targets with ultrashort electromagnetic pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matveev, V. I.; Matrasulov, D. U.

2013-01-01

The processes of reemission of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses by linear chains consisting of isolated multielectron atoms have been considered. The developed method makes it possible to accurately take into account the spatial inhomogeneity of the field of an ultrashort pulse and the momenta of photons in reemission processes. The angular distributions of reemission spectra have been obtained for an arbitrary number of atoms in a chain. It has been shown that the interference of the photon emission amplitudes leads to the appearance of characteristic "diffraction" maxima. The results allow standard generalization to the cases of rescattering from two-dimensional (graphene-like) and three-dimensional lattices, as well as to the case of the inclusion of thermal vibrations of the atoms of lattices.

Charge qubit coupled to an intense microwave electromagnetic field in a superconducting Nb device: evidence for photon-assisted quasiparticle tunneling.

PubMed

de Graaf, S E; Leppäkangas, J; Adamyan, A; Danilov, A V; Lindström, T; Fogelström, M; Bauch, T; Johansson, G; Kubatkin, S E

2013-09-27

We study a superconducting charge qubit coupled to an intensive electromagnetic field and probe changes in the resonance frequency of the formed dressed states. At large driving strengths, exceeding the qubit energy-level splitting, this reveals the well known Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interference structure of a longitudinally driven two-level system. For even stronger drives, we observe a significant change in the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg pattern and contrast. We attribute this to photon-assisted quasiparticle tunneling in the qubit. This results in the recovery of the qubit parity, eliminating effects of quasiparticle poisoning, and leads to an enhanced interferometric response. The interference pattern becomes robust to quasiparticle poisoning and has a good potential for accurate charge sensing.

Microscopic theory of cavity-enhanced single-photon emission from optical two-photon Raman processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breddermann, Dominik; Praschan, Tom; Heinze, Dirk; Binder, Rolf; Schumacher, Stefan

2018-03-01

We consider cavity-enhanced single-photon generation from stimulated two-photon Raman processes in three-level systems. We compare four fundamental system configurations, one Λ -, one V-, and two ladder (Ξ -) configurations. These can be realized as subsystems of a single quantum dot or of quantum-dot molecules. For a new microscopic understanding of the Raman process, we analyze the Heisenberg equation of motion applying the cluster-expansion scheme. Within this formalism an exact and rigorous definition of a cavity-enhanced Raman photon via its corresponding Raman correlation is possible. This definition for example enables us to systematically investigate the on-demand potential of Raman-transition-based single-photon sources. The four system arrangements can be divided into two subclasses, Λ -type and V-type, which exhibit strongly different Raman-emission characteristics and Raman-emission probabilities. Moreover, our approach reveals whether the Raman path generates a single photon or just induces destructive quantum interference with other excitation paths. Based on our findings and as a first application, we gain a more detailed understanding of experimental data from the literature. Our analysis and results are also transferable to the case of atomic three-level-resonator systems and can be extended to more complicated multilevel schemes.

Photoionization and Photofragmentation of the Endohedral Xe C60+ Molecular Ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryal, Nagendra Bahadur

An experimental study of photoionization and fragmentation of the Xe C 60+ endohedral molecular ion is presented in the photon energy range of the well-known Xe 4d giant resonance, and evidence of redistribution of the Xe 4d oscillator strength in photon energy due to multipath interference is reported. Experiments were conducted at undulator beamline 10.0.1 of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) using the merged-beams technique. Prior to these measurements, macroscopic samples containing endohedral Xe C60 were prepared using a setup developed at the ALS. Endohedral Xe C60 yields as high as 2.5x10 -4 were synthesized and a pure Xe C60+ ion beam current of up to 5.5 pA was obtained for the merged-beams experiments. Cross sections were measured in the photon energy range 60 - 150 eV in 0.5 eV steps for single, double, and triple photoionization of endohedral Xe C 60+ accompanied by the loss of n pairs of carbon atoms yielding Xe C60-2n2+ (n = 0, 1), Xe C60-2n 3+ (n = 0, 1, 2, 3), and Xe C584+ photoion products. Reference absolute cross-section measurements were made for empty C60+ for the corresponding reaction channels. The spectroscopic measurements with Xe C60+ were placed onto an absolute scale by normalization to the reference cross sections for C60+ in ranges of photon energies where the Xe 4d contributions were negligible. Results for single photoionization and fragmentation of Xe C60+ show no evidence of the presence of the caged Xe atom. The measurements of double and triple photoionization with fragmentation of Xe C60+ exhibit prominent signatures of the Xe 4d resonance and together account for 6.6 +/- 1.5 of the total Xe 4d oscillator strength of 10. Compared to that for a free Xe atom, the Xe oscillator strength in Xe C60+ is redistributed in photon energy due to multipath interference of outgoing Xe 4d photoelectron waves that may be transmitted or reflected by the spherical C60+ molecular cage, yielding so-called confinement resonances. The experimental data are compared with numerous theoretical predictions for this novel single-molecule photoelectron interferometer system. The comparison indicates that the interference structure is sensitive to the geometry of the molecular cage.

Multilayered photonic integration on SOI platform using waveguide-based bridge structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumder, Saikat; Chakraborty, Rajib

2018-06-01

A waveguide based structure on silicon on insulator platform is proposed for vertical integration in photonic integrated circuits. The structure consists of two multimode interference couplers connected by a single mode (SM) section which can act as a bridge over any other underlying device. Two more SM sections acts as input and output of the first and second multimode couplers respectively. Potential application of this structure is in multilayered photonic links. It is shown that the efficiency of the structure can be improved by making some design modifications. The entire simulation is done using effective-index based matrix method. The feature size chosen are comparable to waveguides fabricated previously so as to fabricate the proposed structure easily.

Simultaneous visualization of water and hydrogen peroxide vapor using two-photon laser-induced fluorescence and photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence.

PubMed

Larsson, Kajsa; Johansson, Olof; Aldén, Marcus; Bood, Joakim

2014-01-01

A concept based on a combination of photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF) and two-photon laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) is for the first time demonstrated for simultaneous detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and water (H2O) vapor. Water detection is based on two-photon excitation by an injection-locked krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser (248.28 nm), which induces broadband fluorescence (400-500 nm) from water. The same laser simultaneously photodissociates H2O2, whereupon the generated OH fragments are probed by LIF after a time delay of typically 50 ns, by a frequency-doubled dye laser (281.91 nm). Experiments in six different H2O2/H2O mixtures of known compositions show that both signals are linearly dependent on respective species concentration. For the H2O2 detection there is a minor interfering signal contribution from OH fragments created by two-photon photodissociation of H2O. Since the PF-LIF signal yield from H2O2 is found to be at least ∼24,000 times higher than the PF-LIF signal yield from H2O at room temperature, this interference is negligible for most H2O/H2O2 mixtures of practical interest. Simultaneous single-shot imaging of both species was demonstrated in a slightly turbulent flow. For single-shot imaging the minimum detectable H2O2 and H2O concentration is 10 ppm and 0.5%, respectively. The proposed measurement concept could be a valuable asset in several areas, for example, in atmospheric and combustion science and research on vapor-phase H2O2 sterilization in the pharmaceutical and aseptic food-packaging industries.

Exciton interference revealed by energy dependent exciton transfer rate for ring-structured molecular systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Yun-An, E-mail: yunan@gznc.edu.cn

2016-01-14

The quantum interference is an intrinsic phenomenon in quantum physics for photon and massive quantum particles. In principle, the quantum interference may also occur with quasi-particles, such as the exciton. In this study, we show how the exciton quantum interference can be significant in aggregates through theoretical simulations with hierarchical equations of motion. The systems under investigation are generalized donor-bridge-acceptor model aggregates with the donor consisting of six homogeneous sites assuming the nearest neighbor coupling. For the models with single-path bridge, the exciton transfer time only shows a weak excitation energy dependence. But models with double-path bridge have a newmore » short transfer time scale and the excitation energy dependence of the exciton transfer time assumes clear peak structure which is detectable with today’s nonlinear spectroscopy. This abnormality is attributed to the exciton quantum interference and the condition for a clear observation in experiment is also explored.« less

Experimental two-dimensional quantum walk on a photonic chip.

PubMed

Tang, Hao; Lin, Xiao-Feng; Feng, Zhen; Chen, Jing-Yuan; Gao, Jun; Sun, Ke; Wang, Chao-Yue; Lai, Peng-Cheng; Xu, Xiao-Yun; Wang, Yao; Qiao, Lu-Feng; Yang, Ai-Lin; Jin, Xian-Min

2018-05-01

Quantum walks, in virtue of the coherent superposition and quantum interference, have exponential superiority over their classical counterpart in applications of quantum searching and quantum simulation. The quantum-enhanced power is highly related to the state space of quantum walks, which can be expanded by enlarging the photon number and/or the dimensions of the evolution network, but the former is considerably challenging due to probabilistic generation of single photons and multiplicative loss. We demonstrate a two-dimensional continuous-time quantum walk by using the external geometry of photonic waveguide arrays, rather than the inner degree of freedoms of photons. Using femtosecond laser direct writing, we construct a large-scale three-dimensional structure that forms a two-dimensional lattice with up to 49 × 49 nodes on a photonic chip. We demonstrate spatial two-dimensional quantum walks using heralded single photons and single photon-level imaging. We analyze the quantum transport properties via observing the ballistic evolution pattern and the variance profile, which agree well with simulation results. We further reveal the transient nature that is the unique feature for quantum walks of beyond one dimension. An architecture that allows a quantum walk to freely evolve in all directions and at a large scale, combining with defect and disorder control, may bring up powerful and versatile quantum walk machines for classically intractable problems.

Angular dependence of EWS time delay for photoionization of @Xe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Ankur; Deshmukh, Pranawa; Kheifets, Anatoli; Dolmatov, Valeriy; Manson, Steven

2017-04-01

Interference between photoionization channels leads to angular dependence in photoionization time delay. Angular dependence is found to be a common effect for two-photon absorption experiments very recently. The effect of confinement on the time delay where each partial wave contributions to the ionization are studied. In this work we report angular dependence and confinement effects on Eisenbud-Wigner-Smith (EWS) time delay in atomic photoionization. Using and we computed the EWS time delay for free and confined Xe atom for photoionization from inner 4d3/2 and 4d5/2 and outer 5p1/2 and 5p3/2 subshells at various angles. The calculated EWS time delay is few tens to few hundreds of attoseconds (10-18 second). The photoionization time delay for @Xe follows that in the free Xe atom on which the confinement oscillations are built. The present work reveals the effect of confinement on the photoionization time delay at different angles between photoelectron ejection and the photon polarization.

Quantum mechanical which-way experiment with an internal degree of freedom

PubMed Central

Banaszek, Konrad; Horodecki, Paweł; Karpiński, Michał; Radzewicz, Czesław

2013-01-01

For a particle travelling through an interferometer, the trade-off between the available which-way information and the interference visibility provides a lucid manifestation of the quantum mechanical wave–particle duality. Here we analyse this relation for a particle possessing an internal degree of freedom such as spin. We quantify the trade-off with a general inequality that paints an unexpectedly intricate picture of wave–particle duality when internal states are involved. Strikingly, in some instances which-way information becomes erased by introducing classical uncertainty in the internal degree of freedom. Furthermore, even imperfect interference visibility measured for a suitable set of spin preparations can be sufficient to infer absence of which-way information. General results are illustrated with a proof-of-principle single-photon experiment. PMID:24161992

Telecom-band degenerate-frequency photon pair generation in silicon microring cavities.

PubMed

Guo, Yuan; Zhang, Wei; Dong, Shuai; Huang, Yidong; Peng, Jiangde

2014-04-15

In this Letter, telecom-band degenerate-frequency photon pairs are generated in a specific mode of a silicon microring cavity by the nondegenerate spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) process, under two continuous-wave pumps at resonance wavelength of two different cavity modes. The ratio of coincidence to accidental coincidence is up to 100 under a time bin width of 5 ns, showing their characteristics of quantum correlation. Their quantum interference in balanced and unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers is investigated theoretically and experimentally, and the results show potential in quantum metrology and quantum information.

Direct quantum process tomography via measuring sequential weak values of incompatible observables.

PubMed

Kim, Yosep; Kim, Yong-Su; Lee, Sang-Yun; Han, Sang-Wook; Moon, Sung; Kim, Yoon-Ho; Cho, Young-Wook

2018-01-15

The weak value concept has enabled fundamental studies of quantum measurement and, recently, found potential applications in quantum and classical metrology. However, most weak value experiments reported to date do not require quantum mechanical descriptions, as they only exploit the classical wave nature of the physical systems. In this work, we demonstrate measurement of the sequential weak value of two incompatible observables by making use of two-photon quantum interference so that the results can only be explained quantum physically. We then demonstrate that the sequential weak value measurement can be used to perform direct quantum process tomography of a qubit channel. Our work not only demonstrates the quantum nature of weak values but also presents potential new applications of weak values in analyzing quantum channels and operations.

In-line flat-top comb filter based on a cascaded all-solid photonic bandgap fiber intermodal interferometer.

PubMed

Geng, Youfu; Li, Xuejin; Tan, Xiaoling; Deng, Yuanlong; Yu, Yongqin

2013-07-15

In this paper, an in-line comb filter with flat-top spectral response is proposed and constructed based on a cascaded all-solid photonic bandgap fiber modal interferometer. It consists of two short pieces of all-solid photonic bandgap fiber and two standard single-mode fibers as lead fibers with core-offset splices between them. The theoretical and experimental results demonstrated that by employing a cut and resplice process on the central position of all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, the interference spectra are well tailored and flat-top spectral profiles could be realized by the controllable offset amount of the resplice. The channel position also could be tuned by applying longitudinal torsion with up to 4 nm tuning range. Such a flat-top fiber comb filter is easy-to-fabricate and with a designable passband width and flat-top profile.

Tuning the photon statistics of a strongly coupled nanophotonic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dory, Constantin; Fischer, Kevin A.; Müller, Kai; Lagoudakis, Konstantinos G.; Sarmiento, Tomas; Rundquist, Armand; Zhang, Jingyuan L.; Kelaita, Yousif; Sapra, Neil V.; Vučković, Jelena

2017-02-01

We investigate the dynamics of single- and multiphoton emission from detuned strongly coupled systems based on the quantum-dot-photonic-crystal resonator platform. Transmitting light through such systems can generate a range of nonclassical states of light with tunable photon counting statistics due to the nonlinear ladder of hybridized light-matter states. By controlling the detuning between emitter and resonator, the transmission can be tuned to strongly enhance either single- or two-photon emission processes. Despite the strongly dissipative nature of these systems, we find that by utilizing a self-homodyne interference technique combined with frequency filtering we are able to find a strong two-photon component of the emission in the multiphoton regime. In order to explain our correlation measurements, we propose rate equation models that capture the dominant processes of emission in both the single- and multiphoton regimes. These models are then supported by quantum-optical simulations that fully capture the frequency filtering of emission from our solid-state system.

Optimal antibunching in passive photonic devices based on coupled nonlinear resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferretti, S.; Savona, V.; Gerace, D.

2013-02-01

We propose the use of weakly nonlinear passive materials for prospective applications in integrated quantum photonics. It is shown that strong enhancement of native optical nonlinearities by electromagnetic field confinement in photonic crystal resonators can lead to single-photon generation only exploiting the quantum interference of two coupled modes and the effect of photon blockade under resonant coherent driving. For realistic system parameters in state of the art microcavities, the efficiency of such a single-photon source is theoretically characterized by means of the second-order correlation function at zero-time delay as the main figure of merit, where major sources of loss and decoherence are taken into account within a standard master equation treatment. These results could stimulate the realization of integrated quantum photonic devices based on non-resonant material media, fully integrable with current semiconductor technology and matching the relevant telecom band operational wavelengths, as an alternative to single-photon nonlinear devices based on cavity quantum electrodynamics with artificial atoms or single atomic-like emitters.

Coherence properties of spontaneous parametric down-conversion pumped by a multi-mode cw diode laser.

PubMed

Kwon, Osung; Ra, Young-Sik; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2009-07-20

Coherence properties of the photon pair generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion pumped by a multi-mode cw diode laser are studied with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Each photon of the pair enters a different input port of the interferometer and the biphoton coherence properties are studied with a two-photon detector placed at one output port. When the photon pair simultaneously enters the interferometer, periodic recurrence of the biphoton de Broglie wave packet is observed, closely resembling the coherence properties of the pump diode laser. With non-zero delays between the photons at the input ports, biphoton interference exhibits the same periodic recurrence but the wave packet shapes are shown to be dependent on both the input delay as well as the interferometer delay. These properties could be useful for building engineered entangled photon sources based on diode laser-pumped spontaneous parametric down-conversion.

Quantum optical measurement with tripartite entangled photons generated by triple parametric down-conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Minhaeng

2018-05-01

Parametric down-conversion is a second-order nonlinear optical process annihilating a pump photon and creating a pair of photons in the signal and idler modes. Then, by using two parametric down-converters and introducing a path indistinguishability for the two generated idler modes, a quantum coherence between two conjugate signal beams can be induced. Such a double spontaneous or stimulated parametric down-conversion scheme has been used to demonstrate quantum spectroscopy and imaging with undetected idler photons via measuring one-photon interference between their correlated signal beams. Recently, we considered another quantum optical measurement scheme utilizing W-type tripartite entangled signal photons that can be generated by employing three spontaneous parametric down-conversion crystals and by inducing coherences or path-indistinguishabilities between their correlated idler beams and between quantum vacuum fields. Here, we consider an extended triple stimulated parametric down-conversion scheme for quantum optical measurement of sample properties with undetected idler and photons. Noting the real effect of vacuum field indistinguishability on the fringe visibility as well as the role of zero-point field energy in the interferometry, we show that this scheme is an ideal and efficient way to create a coherent state of W-type entangled signal photons. We anticipate that this scheme would be of critical use in further developing quantum optical measurements in spectroscopy and microscopy with undetected photons.

Quantum optical measurement with tripartite entangled photons generated by triple parametric down-conversion.

PubMed

Cho, Minhaeng

2018-05-14

Parametric down-conversion is a second-order nonlinear optical process annihilating a pump photon and creating a pair of photons in the signal and idler modes. Then, by using two parametric down-converters and introducing a path indistinguishability for the two generated idler modes, a quantum coherence between two conjugate signal beams can be induced. Such a double spontaneous or stimulated parametric down-conversion scheme has been used to demonstrate quantum spectroscopy and imaging with undetected idler photons via measuring one-photon interference between their correlated signal beams. Recently, we considered another quantum optical measurement scheme utilizing W-type tripartite entangled signal photons that can be generated by employing three spontaneous parametric down-conversion crystals and by inducing coherences or path-indistinguishabilities between their correlated idler beams and between quantum vacuum fields. Here, we consider an extended triple stimulated parametric down-conversion scheme for quantum optical measurement of sample properties with undetected idler and photons. Noting the real effect of vacuum field indistinguishability on the fringe visibility as well as the role of zero-point field energy in the interferometry, we show that this scheme is an ideal and efficient way to create a coherent state of W-type entangled signal photons. We anticipate that this scheme would be of critical use in further developing quantum optical measurements in spectroscopy and microscopy with undetected photons.

Engineering two-photon high-dimensional states through quantum interference

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yingwen; Roux, Filippus S.; Konrad, Thomas; Agnew, Megan; Leach, Jonathan; Forbes, Andrew

2016-01-01

Many protocols in quantum science, for example, linear optical quantum computing, require access to large-scale entangled quantum states. Such systems can be realized through many-particle qubits, but this approach often suffers from scalability problems. An alternative strategy is to consider a lesser number of particles that exist in high-dimensional states. The spatial modes of light are one such candidate that provides access to high-dimensional quantum states, and thus they increase the storage and processing potential of quantum information systems. We demonstrate the controlled engineering of two-photon high-dimensional states entangled in their orbital angular momentum through Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. We prepare a large range of high-dimensional entangled states and implement precise quantum state filtering. We characterize the full quantum state before and after the filter, and are thus able to determine that only the antisymmetric component of the initial state remains. This work paves the way for high-dimensional processing and communication of multiphoton quantum states, for example, in teleportation beyond qubits. PMID:26933685

A Microwave Photonic Interference Canceller: Architectures, Systems, and Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Matthew P.

This thesis is a comprehensive portfolio of work on a Microwave Photonic Self-Interference Canceller (MPC), a specialized optical system designed to eliminate interference from radio-frequency (RF) receivers. The novelty and value of the microwave photonic system lies in its ability to operate over bandwidths and frequencies that are orders of magnitude larger than what is possible using existing RF technology. The work begins, in 2012, with a discrete fiber-optic microwave photonic canceller, which prior work had demonstrated as a proof-of-concept, and culminates, in 2017, with the first ever monolithically integrated microwave photonic canceller. With an eye towards practical implementation, the thesis establishes novelty through three major project thrusts. (Fig. 1): (1) Extensive RF and system analysis to develop a full understanding of how, and through what mechanisms, MPCs affect an RF receiver. The first investigations of how a microwave photonic canceller performs in an actual wireless environment and a digital radio are also presented. (2) New architectures to improve the performance and functionality of MPCs, based on the analysis performed in Thrust 1. A novel balanced microwave photonic canceller architecture is developed and experimentally demonstrated. The balanced architecture shows significant improvements in link gain, noise figure, and dynamic range. Its main advantage is its ability to suppress common-mode noise and reduce noise figure by increasing the optical power. (3) Monolithic integration of the microwave photonic canceller into a photonic integrated circuit. This thrust presents the progression of integrating individual discrete devices into their semiconductor equivalent, as well as a full functional and RF analysis of the first ever integrated microwave photonic canceller.

Deterministic quantum splitter based on time-reversed Hong-Ou-Mandel interference

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Jun; Lee, Kim Fook; Kumar, Prem

2007-09-15

By utilizing a fiber-based indistinguishable photon-pair source in the 1.55 {mu}m telecommunications band [J. Chen et al., Opt. Lett. 31, 2798 (2006)], we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, deterministic quantum splitter based on the principle of time-reversed Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference. The deterministically separated identical photons' indistinguishability is then verified by using a conventional Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference, which exhibits a near-unity dip visibility of 94{+-}1%, making this quantum splitter useful for various quantum information processing applications.

Deterministic reshaping of single-photon spectra using cross-phase modulation.

PubMed

Matsuda, Nobuyuki

2016-03-01

The frequency conversion of light has proved to be a crucial technology for communication, spectroscopy, imaging, and signal processing. In the quantum regime, it also offers great potential for realizing quantum networks incorporating disparate physical systems and quantum-enhanced information processing over a large computational space. The frequency conversion of quantum light, such as single photons, has been extensively investigated for the last two decades using all-optical frequency mixing, with the ultimate goal of realizing lossless and noiseless conversion. I demonstrate another route to this target using frequency conversion induced by cross-phase modulation in a dispersion-managed photonic crystal fiber. Owing to the deterministic and all-optical nature of the process, the lossless and low-noise spectral reshaping of a single-photon wave packet in the telecommunication band has been readily achieved with a modulation bandwidth as large as 0.4 THz. I further demonstrate that the scheme is applicable to manipulations of a nonclassical frequency correlation, wave packet interference, and entanglement between two photons. This approach presents a new coherent frequency interface for photons for quantum information processing.

Deterministic reshaping of single-photon spectra using cross-phase modulation

PubMed Central

Matsuda, Nobuyuki

2016-01-01

The frequency conversion of light has proved to be a crucial technology for communication, spectroscopy, imaging, and signal processing. In the quantum regime, it also offers great potential for realizing quantum networks incorporating disparate physical systems and quantum-enhanced information processing over a large computational space. The frequency conversion of quantum light, such as single photons, has been extensively investigated for the last two decades using all-optical frequency mixing, with the ultimate goal of realizing lossless and noiseless conversion. I demonstrate another route to this target using frequency conversion induced by cross-phase modulation in a dispersion-managed photonic crystal fiber. Owing to the deterministic and all-optical nature of the process, the lossless and low-noise spectral reshaping of a single-photon wave packet in the telecommunication band has been readily achieved with a modulation bandwidth as large as 0.4 THz. I further demonstrate that the scheme is applicable to manipulations of a nonclassical frequency correlation, wave packet interference, and entanglement between two photons. This approach presents a new coherent frequency interface for photons for quantum information processing. PMID:27051862

Analysis of photonic spot profile converter and bridge structure on SOI platform for horizontal and vertical integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumder, Saikat; Jha, Amit Kr.; Biswas, Aishik; Banerjee, Debasmita; Ganguly, Dipankar; Chakraborty, Rajib

2017-08-01

Horizontal spot size converter required for horizontal light coupling and vertical bridge structure required for vertical integration are designed on high index contrast SOI platform in order to form more compact integrated photonic circuits. Both the structures are based on the concept of multimode interference. The spot size converter can be realized by successive integration of multimode interference structures with reducing dimension on horizontal plane, whereas the optical bridge structure consists of a number of vertical multimode interference structure connected by single mode sections. The spot size converter can be modified to a spot profile converter when the final single mode waveguide is replaced by a slot waveguide. Analysis have shown that by using three multimode sections in a spot size converter, an Gaussian input having spot diameter of 2.51 μm can be converted to a spot diameter of 0.25 μm. If the output single mode section is replaced by a slot waveguide, this input profile can be converted to a flat top profile of width 50 nm. Similarly, vertical displacement of 8μm is possible by using a combination of two multimode sections and three single mode sections in the vertical bridge structure. The analyses of these two structures are carried out for both TE and TM modes at 1550 nm wavelength using the semi analytical matrix method which is simple and fast in computation time and memory. This work shows that the matrix method is equally applicable for analysis of horizontally as well as vertically integrated photonic circuit.

Interatomic interaction effects on second-order momentum correlations and Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of double-well-trapped ultracold fermionic atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Benedikt B.; Yannouleas, Constantine; Landman, Uzi

2018-05-01

Identification and understanding of the evolution of interference patterns in two-particle momentum correlations as a function of the strength of interatomic interactions are important in explorations of the nature of quantum states of trapped particles. Together with the analysis of two-particle spatial correlations, they offer the prospect of uncovering fundamental symmetries and structure of correlated many-body states, as well as opening vistas into potential control and utilization of correlated quantum states as quantum-information resources. With the use of the second-order density matrix constructed via exact diagonalization of the microscopic Hamiltonian, and an analytic Hubbard-type model, we explore here the systematic evolution of characteristic interference patterns in the two-body momentum and spatial correlation maps of two entangled ultracold fermionic atoms in a double well, for the entire attractive- and repulsive-interaction range. We uncover quantum-statistics-governed bunching and antibunching, as well as interaction-dependent interference patterns, in the ground and excited states, and interpret our results in light of the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference physics, widely exploited in photon indistinguishability testing and quantum-information science.

Excitation of surface plasmons in Al-coated SNOM tips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palm, Viktor; Rähn, Mihkel; Jäme, Joonas; Hizhnyakov, Vladimir

2012-10-01

The mesoscopic effect of spectral modulation occurring due to the interference of two photonic fiber modes filtered out by a metal-coated SNOM tip is used to observe the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation in SNOM tips. In a spectrum of the broadband light transmitted by a SNOM tip a region of highly regular spectral modulation can be found, indicating the spectral interval in which only two photonic modes (apparently HE11 and TM01) are transmitted with significant and comparable amplitudes. The modulation period yields the value of optical path difference (OPD) for this pair of modes. Due to the multimode fiber's inherent modal dispersion, this OPD value depends linearly on the fiber tail length l. An additional contribution to OPD can be generated in a metal-coated SNOM tip due to a mode-dependent photon-plasmon coupling strength resulting in generation of SPPs with different propagation velocities. For an Al-coated 200 nm SNOM tip spectra of transmitted light have been registered for ten different l values. An extrapolation of the linear OPD (l) dependence to l=0 yields a significant residual OPD value, indicating according to our theoretical considerations a mode-selective SPP excitation in the metal-coated tip. The modal dispersion is shown to switch its sign in the SNOM tip. First results of analogous experiments with an Al-coated 150 nm SNOM tip confirm our conclusions.

Measurement of the target-normal single-spin asymmetry in quasielastic scattering from the reaction He 3 ↑ ( e , e ' )

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Y. -W.; Long, E.; Mihovilovič, M.; ...

2015-10-22

We report the first measurement of the target single-spin asymmetry, Ay, in quasi-elastic scattering from the inclusive reaction 3He↑ (e,e') on a 3He gas target polarized normal to the lepton scattering plane. Assuming time-reversal invariance, this asymmetry is strictly zero for one-photon exchange. A non-zero A y can arise from the interference between the one- and two-photon exchange processes which is sensitive to the details of the sub-structure of the nucleon. An experiment recently completed at Jefferson Lab yielded asymmetries with high statistical precision at Q 2= 0.13, 0.46 and 0.97 GeV 2. These measurements demonstrate, for the first time,more » that the 3He asymmetry is clearly non-zero and negative with a statistical significance of (8-10)σ. Using measured proton-to- 3He cross-section ratios and the effective polarization approximation, neutron asymmetries of -(1-3)% were obtained. The neutron asymmetry at high Q 2 is related to moments of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs). Our measured neutron asymmetry at Q 2=0.97 GeV 2 agrees well with a prediction based on two-photon exchange using a GPD model and in addition provides a new independent constraint on these distributions.« less

The Fano-type transmission and field enhancement in heterostructures composed of epsilon-near-zero materials and truncated photonic crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zhi-fang; Jiang, Hai-tao, E-mail: davies2000@163.com, E-mail: jiang-haitao@tongji.edu.cn; Li, Yun-hui

2013-11-11

The Fano-type interference effect is studied in the heterostructure composed of an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material and a truncated photonic crystal for transverse magnetic polarized light. In the Fano-type interference effect, the ENZ material provides narrow reflection pathway and the photonic crystal provides broadband reflection pathway. The boundary condition across the ENZ interface and the confinement effect provided by the photonic crystal can enhance the electric fields in the ENZ material greatly. The field enhancements, together with the asymmetric property of Fano-type spectrum, possess potential applications for significantly lowering the threshold of nonlinear processes such as optical switching and bistability.

Experimental two-dimensional quantum walk on a photonic chip

PubMed Central

Lin, Xiao-Feng; Feng, Zhen; Chen, Jing-Yuan; Gao, Jun; Sun, Ke; Wang, Chao-Yue; Lai, Peng-Cheng; Xu, Xiao-Yun; Wang, Yao; Qiao, Lu-Feng; Yang, Ai-Lin

2018-01-01

Quantum walks, in virtue of the coherent superposition and quantum interference, have exponential superiority over their classical counterpart in applications of quantum searching and quantum simulation. The quantum-enhanced power is highly related to the state space of quantum walks, which can be expanded by enlarging the photon number and/or the dimensions of the evolution network, but the former is considerably challenging due to probabilistic generation of single photons and multiplicative loss. We demonstrate a two-dimensional continuous-time quantum walk by using the external geometry of photonic waveguide arrays, rather than the inner degree of freedoms of photons. Using femtosecond laser direct writing, we construct a large-scale three-dimensional structure that forms a two-dimensional lattice with up to 49 × 49 nodes on a photonic chip. We demonstrate spatial two-dimensional quantum walks using heralded single photons and single photon–level imaging. We analyze the quantum transport properties via observing the ballistic evolution pattern and the variance profile, which agree well with simulation results. We further reveal the transient nature that is the unique feature for quantum walks of beyond one dimension. An architecture that allows a quantum walk to freely evolve in all directions and at a large scale, combining with defect and disorder control, may bring up powerful and versatile quantum walk machines for classically intractable problems. PMID:29756040

Discrete contribution to {psi}{sup '}{yields}J/{psi}+{gamma}{gamma}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He Zhiguo; Soto, Joan; Lu Xiaorui

2011-03-01

The decay mode {psi}(2S){yields}J/{psi}+{gamma}{gamma} is proposed in order to experimentally identify the effects of the coupling of charmonium states to the continuum D{bar D} states. To have a better understanding of such a two-photon decay process, in this work we restrict ourselves to investigate the contribution of the discrete part, in which the photons are mainly produced via the intermediate states {chi}{sub cJ}(nP). Besides calculating the resonance contributions of {chi}{sub cJ}(1P)(J=0,1,2), we also take into account the contributions of the higher excited states {chi}{sub cJ}(2P) and the interference effect among the 1P and 2P states. We find that the contributionmore » of the 2P states and the interference terms to the total decay width is very tiny. However, for specific regions of the Dalitz plot, off the resonance peaks, we find that these contributions are sizable and should also be accounted for. We also provide the photon spectrum and study the polarization of J/{psi}.« less

Quantum information processing by weaving quantum Talbot carpets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farías, Osvaldo Jiménez; de Melo, Fernando; Milman, Pérola; Walborn, Stephen P.

2015-06-01

Single-photon interference due to passage through a periodic grating is considered in a novel proposal for processing D -dimensional quantum systems (quDits) encoded in the spatial degrees of freedom of light. We show that free-space propagation naturally implements basic single-quDit gates by means of the Talbot effect: an intricate time-space carpet of light in the near-field diffraction regime. By adding a diagonal phase gate, we show that a complete set of single-quDit gates can be implemented. We then introduce a spatially dependent beam splitter that allows for projective measurements in the computational basis and can be used for the implementation of controlled operations between two quDits. Universal quantum information processing can then be implemented with linear optics and ancilla photons via postselection and feed-forward following the original proposal of Knill-Laflamme and Milburn. Although we consider photons, our scheme should be directly applicable to a number of other physical systems. Interpretation of the Talbot effect as a quantum logic operation provides a beautiful and interesting way to visualize quantum computation through wave propagation and interference.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grice, Warren P; Bennink, Ryan S; Evans, Philip G

A growing number of experiments make use of multiple pairs of photons generated in the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion. We show that entanglement in unwanted degrees of freedom can adversely affect the results of these experiments. We also discuss techniques to reduce or eliminate spectral and spatial entanglement, and we present results from two-photon polarization-entangled source with almost no entanglement in these degrees of freedom. Finally, we present two methods for the generation of four-photon polarization- entangled states. In one of these methods, four-photon can be generated without the need for intermediate two-photon entanglement.

Transverse correlation in entangled photons and light-matter interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jianming

In recent years, quantum entanglement has attracted much attention, because its unique properties provide potential applications, which could not be achieved using conventional techniques, such as quantum computing, quantum imaging and lithography. To realize these advancements, one has to obtain an entanglement-generation source, thoroughly master its physical properties, and fully understand the light-matter interaction. This dissertation is an attempt to address such issues as stated above. Conventionally, paired photons are created from spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). It is known that the transverse correlation in biphotons may improve the visibility and resolution in quantum imaging and lithography. In this thesis, we described an alternative biphoton source---Raman-EIT (electromagnetically induced transparency) generator, and emphasize on its geometrical and optical properties. We found that to utilize the transverse effects in paired Stokes-anti-Stokes, it is necessary to make the product of the EIT window times the group delay much greater than unity. To gain further insight into quantum imaging and lithography, we studied the transverse correlation in triphoton entanglement theoretically. We found that in the two-image process, the quality of images is determined by the optical path-lengths, even though the Gaussian thin lens equations are satisfied. The ghost interference-diffraction patterns of double slits show one more fold interference, which is essentially different from the biphoton case. Klyshko's advanced-wave model is still applicable, with some modifications. We also generalized the transverse correlation to the case of multi-photon entangled states. To implement quantum computing, one key element is quantum memory. In this thesis, we have theoretically explored the feasibility of such a memory by using nonclassical SPDC light in an EIT system at the single-photon level. We found that both the quantum coherence of SPDC and atomic coherence of EIT can survive after interacting within a vapor cell. Due to the inherent mismatch of magnitude between the spectral bandwidth of SPDC and the very narrow transmission width of EIT, the coincidence counts of the two-photon interference is reduced to one pair per second, which is barely doable in the current experimental situation.

Three-photon N00N states generated by photon subtraction from double photon pairs.

PubMed

Kim, Heonoh; Park, Hee Su; Choi, Sang-Kyung

2009-10-26

We describe an experimental demonstration of a novel three-photon N00N state generation scheme using a single source of photons based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). The three-photon entangled state is generated when a photon is subtracted from a double pair of photons and detected by a heralding counter. Interference fringes measured with an emulated three-photon detector reveal the three-photon de Broglie wavelength and exhibit visibility > 70% without background subtraction.

Hands-on optics and photonics outreach in Riga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesina, Natalija; Spigulis, Janis

2014-07-01

A long-term exposition focused on optics and photonics was created in Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy at University of Latvia in 2010. Considering unpopularity of science in Latvia and lack of broadly accessible hands-on outreach activities for school children, as well as rapid development of advanced photonic technologies, this exposition was meant to involve more students to the natural sciences and modern technologies. Exposition covers 10 topics of optics - colors, diffraction, interference, polarization, reflection, liquid crystals, gas discharge, lasers, fluorescence, infrared and ultraviolet radiation. Students' visits are organized as an exciting adventure, which differs from ordinary school lessons. The visit mainly includes own actions with hands-on exhibits, lecturer's explanations about the most difficult topics and some demonstrations shown by the lecturer. The main accent is made on hands-on experiments due to the fact that students, who had performed hands-on experiments, will be emboldened to choose their career in the field of science and technologies. The exposition now is running and is part of Riga Photonics Center. Nearly 300 students from the 8th till 12th grades visited it during academic years 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 and their generally positive feedback has been analyzed.

Dynamique et interférence de paquets d'ondes dans les atomes et dimères d'alcalins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouchene, M. A.

2002-11-01

Wave packet dynamics and interference experiments in alkaline atoms and dimers This work deals with time resolved experimental study of the dynamics of atomic and molecular processes occurring on a femtosecond time scale. The first part concerns with wave packet dynamics in alkaline atoms and dimers (K, K2) studied by pump-probe methods. In the case of potassium atoms, the wave packet is a superposition of fine structure states of 4p level and represents an electronic spin wave packet. We study the temporal dynamics of this wave packet and we show that it corresponds to a spin flip. We show that the bright state-dark state formalism is appropriate to describe the dynamics in this case and we present an original method that utilises this spin flip to produce spin-polarized electrons on the femtosecond scale. In the case of molecules, the wave packet created is a superposition of vibrational states. We present the results of the study of the vibrational wave packet dynamics in states A^1Σ^+_u et 2^1Pi_g. The pump-probe signal depends on the competition between the various wave packets dynamics in the two electronic states. The second part deals with wave packets interference experiments in similar systems (K, Cs, Cs2). This technique, complementary with the first one, is based on the interaction of two identical pulses with an atomic or molecular system. This gives rise to the interference of two wave packets created by the two laser pulses. This interference allows us to control coherently the excitation probability. In the case of atoms, we present the results of experiments obtained when exciting one photon transition 4s 4p in potassium and two-photon transition 6s 7d in cesium. Two kinds of interference are identified: the optical interference regime that occurs when the two pulses overlap in time and the regime of quantum interference that occurs when the two pulses are well separated. We investigate the behaviour of these interference in many new situations (saturation regime, chirped pulse, ...) that allow us to determine the advantages and limits of this technique. In the case of molecules, the interaction of the two-pulse sequence leads to the interference of vibrational wave packets. We analyse and discuss in this case the effects of a thermal distribution of initial states on the temporal coherent control signal. Ce travail porte sur l'étude expérimentale résolue en temps de la dynamique atomique et moléculaire prenant place sur une échelle de temps femtoseconde. Il présente deux orientations distinctes et complémentaires. La première concerne l'étude de la dynamique de paquets d'ondes dans des atomes et dimères d'alcalins (K, K2) par des méthodes pompe-sonde. Dans le cas du potassium atomique le paquet d'ondes est une superposition des états de structure fine de l'état 4p et représente un paquet de spin électronique. Nous observons la dynamique de ce paquet d'ondes au cours du temps et montrons que celle-ci correspond à une inversion du sens d'orientation du spin. Le formalisme théorique des états brillants et noirs est particulièrement adapté à la description de ce type de dynamique. Nous présentons alors une méthode originale qui, tirant avantage du mouvement d'inversion du spin, permet de produire des électrons polarisés en spin à l'échelle femtoseconde. Dans le cas des molécules, le paquet d'ondes créé est une superposition d'états vibrationnels. Nous présentons les résultats d'une étude systématique de la dynamique de paquet d'ondes vibrationnel dans les états électroniques A^1Σ^+_u et 2^1Pi_g. Le signal pompe-sonde dépend alors de la compétition entre les dynamiques associées aux paquets d'ondes créés dans les deux états électroniques. La deuxième partie traite d'expériences d'interférences de paquets d'ondes dans des systèmes similaires (K, Cs, Cs2). Cette technique, complémentaire de la première, consiste à faire interagir une séquence de deux impulsions identiques avec un système atomique ou moléculaire. Cette interaction résulte de l'interférence des deux paquets d'ondes créés par les deux impulsions laser. Ces interférences permettent de réaliser le contrôle cohérent de la probabilité d'excitation. Dans le cas des atomes, nous présentons les résultats des expériences réalisés sur la transition à un photon 4s 4p du potassium et à deux photons 6s 7d du césium. Deux régimes d'interférences sont mis en évidence : le régime d'interférences optiques qui se produit quand les deux impulsions se chevauchent dans le temps et le régime d'interférences quantiques qui se produit quand les deux impulsons sont séparés dans le temps. Nous explorons le comportement de ces deux types d'interférences dans un grand nombre de situations originales (régime saturé, cas d'impulsions à dérive de fréquence, etc.) qui nous permettent de mieux comprendre les avantages et les limites de cette technique. Dans le cas des molécules, l'interaction de la séquence des deux impulsions conduit à l'interférence des paquets d'ondes vibrationnels. Nous analysons et discutons dans ce cas-là des effets d'une distribution thermique dans l'état initial sur le signal de contrôle cohérent.

Interference with electrons: from thought to real experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matteucci, Giorgio

2013-11-01

The two-slit interference experiment is usually adopted to discuss the superposition principle applied to radiation and to show the peculiar wave behaviour of material particles. Diffraction and interference of electrons have been demonstrated using, as interferometry devices, a hole, a slit, double hole, two-slits, an electrostatic biprism etc. A number of books, short movies and lectures on the web try to popularize the mysterious behaviour of electrons on the basis of Feynman thought experiment which consists of a Young two-hole interferometer equipped with a detector to reveal single electrons. A short review is reported regarding, i) the pioneering attempts carried out to demonstrate that interference patterns could be obtained with single electrons through an interferometer and, ii) recent experiments, which can be considered as the realization of the thought electron interference experiments adopted by Einstein-Bohr and subsequently by Feynman to discuss key features of quantum physics.

Anti-coalescence of bosons on a lossy beam splitter.

PubMed

Vest, Benjamin; Dheur, Marie-Christine; Devaux, Éloïse; Baron, Alexandre; Rousseau, Emmanuel; Hugonin, Jean-Paul; Greffet, Jean-Jacques; Messin, Gaétan; Marquier, François

2017-06-30

Two-boson interference, a fundamentally quantum effect, has been extensively studied with photons through the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect and observed with guided plasmons. Using two freely propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) interfering on a lossy beam splitter, we show that the presence of loss enables us to modify the reflection and transmission factors of the beam splitter, thus revealing quantum interference paths that do not exist in a lossless configuration. We investigate the two-plasmon interference on beam splitters with different sets of reflection and transmission factors. Through coincidence-detection measurements, we observe either coalescence or anti-coalescence of SPPs. The results show that losses can be viewed as a degree of freedom to control quantum processes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Two-photon activation of endogenous store-operated calcium channels without optogenetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Pan; Tang, Wanyi; He, Hao

2018-02-01

Store-operated calcium (SOC) channels, regulated by intracellular Ca2+ store, are the essential pathway of calcium signaling and participate in a wide variety of cellular activities such as gene expression, secretion and immune response1. However, our understanding and regulation of SOC channels are mainly based on pharmacological methods. Considering the unique advantages of optical control, optogenetic control of SOC channels has been developed2. However, the process of genetic engineering to express exogenous light-sensitive protein is complicated, which arouses concerns about ethic difficulties in some research of animal and applications in human. In this report, we demonstrate rapid, robust and reproducible two-photon activation of endogenous SOC channels by femtosecond laser without optogenetics. We present that the short-duration two-photon scanning on subcellular microregion induces slow Ca2+ influx from extracellular medium, which can be eliminated by removing extracellular Ca2+. Block of SOC channels using various pharmacological inhibitors or knockdown of SOC channels by RNA interference reduce the probability of two-photon activated Ca2+ influx. On the contrary, overexpression of SOC channels can increase the probability of Ca2+ influx by two-photon scanning. These results collectively indicate Ca2+ influx through two-photon activated SOC channels. Different from classical pathway of SOC entry activated by Ca2+ store depletion, STIM1, the sensor protein of Ca2+ level in endoplasmic reticulum, does not show any aggregation or migration in this two-photon activated Ca2+ influx, which rules out the possibility of intracellular Ca2+ store depletion. Thereby, we propose this all-optical method of two-photon activation of SOC channels is of great potential to be widely applied in the research of cell calcium signaling and related biological research.

Synthetic-lattice enabled all-optical devices based on orbital angular momentum of light

PubMed Central

Luo, Xi-Wang; Zhou, Xingxiang; Xu, Jin-Shi; Li, Chuan-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can; Zhang, Chuanwei; Zhou, Zheng-Wei

2017-01-01

All-optical photonic devices are crucial for many important photonic technologies and applications, ranging from optical communication to quantum information processing. Conventional design of all-optical devices is based on photon propagation and interference in real space, which may rely on large numbers of optical elements, and the requirement of precise control makes this approach challenging. Here we propose an unconventional route for engineering all-optical devices using the photon’s internal degrees of freedom, which form photonic crystals in such synthetic dimensions for photon propagation and interference. We demonstrate this design concept by showing how important optical devices such as quantum memory and optical filters can be realized using synthetic orbital angular momentum (OAM) lattices in degenerate cavities. The design route utilizing synthetic photonic lattices may significantly reduce the requirement for numerous optical elements and their fine tuning in conventional design, paving the way for realistic all-optical photonic devices with novel functionalities. PMID:28706215

Human Visual System as a Double-Slit Single Photon Interference Sensor: A Comparison between Modellistic and Biophysical Tests

PubMed Central

Pizzi, Rita; Wang, Rui; Rossetti, Danilo

2016-01-01

This paper describes a computational approach to the theoretical problems involved in the Young's single-photon double-slit experiment, focusing on a simulation of this experiment in the absence of measuring devices. Specifically, the human visual system is used in place of a photomultiplier or similar apparatus. Beginning with the assumption that the human eye perceives light in the presence of very few photons, we measure human eye performance as a sensor in a double-slit one-photon-at-a-time experimental setup. To interpret the results, we implement a simulation algorithm and compare its results with those of human subjects under identical experimental conditions. In order to evaluate the perceptive parameters exactly, which vary depending on the light conditions and on the subject’s sensitivity, we first review the existing literature on the biophysics of the human eye in the presence of a dim light source, and then use the known values of the experimental variables to set the parameters of the computational simulation. The results of the simulation and their comparison with the experiment involving human subjects are reported and discussed. It is found that, while the computer simulation indicates that the human eye has the capacity to detect the corpuscular nature of photons under these conditions, this was not observed in practice. The possible reasons for the difference between theoretical prediction and experimental results are discussed. PMID:26816029

Zero-phonon-line emission of single molecules for applications in quantum information processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiraz, Alper; Ehrl, M.; Mustecaplioglu, O. E.; Hellerer, T.; Brauchle, C.; Zumbusch, A.

2005-07-01

A single photon source which generates transform limited single photons is highly desirable for applications in quantum optics. Transform limited emission guarantees the indistinguishability of the emitted single photons. This, in turn brings groundbreaking applications in linear optics quantum information processing within an experimental reach. Recently, self-assembled InAs quantum dots and trapped atoms have successfully been demonstrated as such sources for highly indistinguishable single photons. Here, we demonstrate that nearly transform limited zero-phonon-line (ZPL) emission from single molecules can be obtained by using vibronic excitation. Furthermore we report the results of coincidence detection experiments at the output of a Michelson-type interferometer. These experiments reveal Hong-Ou-Mandel correlations as a proof of the indistinguishability of the single photons emitted consecutively from a single molecule. Therefore, single molecules constitute an attractive alternative to single InAs quantum dots and trapped atoms for applications in linear optics quantum information processing. Experiments were performed with a home-built confocal microscope keeping the sample in a superfluid liquid Helium bath at 1.4K. We investigated terrylenediimide (TDI) molecules highly diluted in hexadecane (Shpol'skii matrix). A continuous wave single mode dye laser was used for excitation of vibronic transitions of individual molecules. From the integral fluorescence, the ZPL of single molecules was selected with a spectrally narrow interference filter. The ZPL emission was then sent to a scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer for linewidth measurements or a Michelson-type interferometer for coincidence detection.

Two Further Experiments on Electron Interference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matteucci, G.; Pozzi, G.

1978-01-01

Presents the results of two experiments concerning the phenomena of the interference of probabilities and of the so called Aharonov-Bohm effect. An electron biprism and a standard electron microscope have been used for the experiments. (Author/GA)

A tunable microstrip SQUID amplifier for the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Kelley, Sean; Hansen, Jorn; Weingarten, Elan; Mueck, Michael; Hilton, Gene; Clarke, John

2014-03-01

We describe a microstrip SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) amplifier (MSA) used as the photon detector in the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). Cooled to 100 mK or lower, an optimized MSA approaches the quantum limit of detection. The axion dark matter is detected via Primakoff conversion to a microwave photon in a high-Q (~ 105) tunable microwave cavity, currently cooled to about 1.6 K, in the presence of a 7-tesla magnetic field. The MSA consists of a square loop of thin Nb film, incorporating two Josephson tunnel junctions with resistive shunts to prevent hysteresis in the current-voltage characteristic. The microstrip is a square Nb coil deposited over an intervening insulating layer. Since the photon frequency is determined by the unknown axion mass, the cavity and amplifier must be tunable over a broad frequency range. Tunability is achieved by terminating the microstrip with a GaAs varactor diode with a voltage-controlled capacitance that enables us to vary the resonance from nearly 1/2 to 1/4 of a wavelength. With the SQUID current-biased in the voltage state, we demonstrate a gain of typically 20 dB over nearly one octave, 415 MHz to 800 MHz. Supported by DOE Grants DE-FG02-97ER41029, DE-FG02-96ER40956, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-AC03-76SF00098, NSF grants PHY-1067242 and PHY-1306729, and the Livermore LDRD program.

Quantum Theory from Observer's Mathematics Point of View

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khots, Dmitriy; Khots, Boris

2010-05-04

This work considers the linear (time-dependent) Schrodinger equation, quantum theory of two-slit interference, wave-particle duality for single photons, and the uncertainty principle in a setting of arithmetic, algebra, and topology provided by Observer's Mathematics, see [1]. Certain theoretical results and communications pertaining to these theorems are also provided.

The physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Yanhua

2007-06-01

One of the most surprising consequences of quantum mechanics is the entanglement of two or more distant particles. In an entangled EPR two-particle system, the value of the momentum (position) for neither single subsystem is determined. However, if one of the subsystems is measured to have a certain momentum (position), the other subsystem is determined to have a unique corresponding value, despite the distance between them. This peculiar behavior of an entangled quantum system has surprisingly been observed experimentally in two-photon temporal and spatial correlation measurements, such as “ghost” interference and “ghost” imaging. This article addresses the fundamental concerns behind these experimental observations and to explore the nonclassical nature of two-photon superposition by emphasizing the physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1.

Careful measurement of first hyperpolarizability spectrum by hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jing; Lu, Changgui; Cui, Yiping

2008-01-01

The first hyperpolarizability (β) spectrum of an azobenzene derivative around its two-photon resonance region is detected carefully by hyper-Rayleigh scattering. The present work uses a fluorescence spectrometer (Edinburgh instruments, F900) as the detector instead of interference filter and photoelectric multiplier tube (PMT). For each wavelength, HRS emission spectrum accompanied with two-photon fluorescence (TPF) is carefully detected by changing the detection wavelength around half of the incident wavelength. Full width to half maximum (FWHM) of the spectrum is about 0.4nm, which is similar to that of the laser. When the incident wavelength moves into the two-photon resonance region, TPF signal increases quickly and should be eliminated. In order to receive accurate β spectrum, the data detected by the oscillograph should be made some emendations, such as TPF, incident energy, absorption and pulse width. Compared with the β spectrum detected in previous works, the spectrum received in this work presents a clearer profile. The β spectrum exhibits a similar profile as its UV-visible spectrum just with blue-shift of wavelength. It could be explained that the electronic vibration structure in two-photon progress is different from that in one-photon progress, while the broadening mechanism may be similar, considering the resonant two-state model (RTSM).

Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana Interferometry of a Single Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogan, Alex; Studenikin, Sergei; Korkusinski, Marek; Gaudreau, Louis; Zawadzki, Piotr; Sachrajda, Andy S.; Tracy, Lisa; Reno, John; Hargett, Terry

2018-05-01

We perform Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana (LZSM) spectroscopy on a system with strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI), realized as a single hole confined in a gated double quantum dot. Analogous to electron systems, at a magnetic field B =0 and high modulation frequencies, we observe photon-assisted tunneling between dots, which smoothly evolves into the typical LZSM funnel-shaped interference pattern as the frequency is decreased. In contrast to electrons, the SOI enables an additional, efficient spin-flip interdot tunneling channel, introducing a distinct interference pattern at finite B . Magnetotransport spectra at low-frequency LZSM driving show the two channels to be equally coherent. High-frequency LZSM driving reveals complex photon-assisted tunneling pathways, both spin conserving and spin flip, which form closed loops at critical magnetic fields. In one such loop, an arbitrary hole spin state is inverted, opening the way toward its all-electrical manipulation.

Which role does multiphoton interference play in small phase estimation in quantum Fourier transform interferometers?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmermann, Olaf; Tamma, Vincenzo

Recently, quantum Fourier transform interferometers have been demonstrated to allow a quantum metrological enhancement in phase sensitivity for a small number n of identical input single photons [J. P. Olson, K. R. Motes, P. M. Birchall, N. M. Studer, M. LaBorde, T. Moulder, P. P. Rohde and J. P. Dowling, Phys. Rev. A 96 (2017) 013810; K. R. Motes, J. P. Olson, E. J. Rabeaux, J. P. Dowling, S. J. Olson and P. P. Rohde, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 170802; O. Zimmermann, Bachelor Thesis (Ulm University, 2015) arXiv: 1710.03805.]. However, multiphoton distinguishability at the detectors can play an important role from an experimental point of view [V. Tamma and S. Laibacher, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 243601.]. This raises a fundamental question: How is the phase sensitivity affected when the photons are completely distinguishable at the detectors and therefore do not interfere? In other words, which role does multiphoton interference play in these schemes? Here, we show that for small phase values, the phase sensitivity achievable in the proposed schemes with indistinguishable photons is enhanced only by a constant factor with respect to the case of completely distinguishable photons at the detectors. Interestingly, this enhancement arises from the interference of only a polynomial number (in n) of the total n! multiphoton path amplitudes in the n-port interferometer. These results are independent of the number n of single photons and of the phase weight factors employed at each interferometer channel.

Realizing a Circuit Analog of an Optomechanical System with Longitudinally Coupled Superconducting Resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichler, C.; Petta, J. R.

2018-06-01

We realize a superconducting circuit analog of the generic cavity-optomechanical Hamiltonian by longitudinally coupling two superconducting resonators, which are an order of magnitude different in frequency. We achieve longitudinal coupling by embedding a superconducting quantum interference device into a high frequency resonator, making its resonance frequency depend on the zero point current fluctuations of a nearby low frequency L C resonator. By applying sideband drive fields we enhance the intrinsic coupling strength of about 15 kHz up to 280 kHz by controlling the amplitude of the drive field. Our results pave the way towards the exploration of optomechanical effects in a fully superconducting platform and could enable quantum optics experiments with photons in the yet unexplored radio frequency band.

What is behind small deviations of quantum mechanics theory from experiments? Observer's mathematics point of view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khots, Boris; Khots, Dmitriy

2014-12-01

Certain results that have been predicted by Quantum Mechanics (QM) theory are not always supported by experiments. This defines a deep crisis in contemporary physics and, in particular, quantum mechanics. We believe that, in fact, the mathematical apparatus employed within today's physics is a possible reason. In particular, we consider the concept of infinity that exists in today's mathematics as the root cause of this problem. We have created Observer's Mathematics that offers an alternative to contemporary mathematics. This paper is an attempt to relay how Observer's Mathematics may explain some of the contradictions in QM theory results. We consider the Hamiltonian Mechanics, Newton equation, Schrodinger equation, two slit interference, wave-particle duality for single photons, uncertainty principle, Dirac equations for free electron in a setting of arithmetic, algebra, and topology provided by Observer's Mathematics (see www.mathrelativity.com). Certain results and communications pertaining to solution of these problems are provided.

Rate coefficients for the reaction of formaldehyde with HO2 radicals from fluorescence spectroscopy of HOCH2OO radicals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunkan, Arne; Amédro, Damien; Crowley, John

2017-04-01

The reaction of formaldehyde with HO2 radicals constitutes a minor, but significant sink of formaldehyde in the troposphere as well as a possible interference in other formaldehyde photooxidation experiments. HCHO + HO2 ⇌ HOCH2OO (1) Due to the difficulty of simultaneously monitoring the reactant and product concentrations while preventing interfering secondary chemistry, there is a considerable uncertainty in the literature values for the reaction rate coefficients. We have used two photon, excited fragment spectroscopy (TPEFS), originally developed for monitoring HNO3 formation in kinetic experiments, to monitor the formation of the HOCH2OO radical. Dispersed and single wavelength fluorescence emission following the 193 nm photolysis of HOCH2OO have been recorded and analysed. Characterisation of the method is presented along with rate coefficients for the reaction of HCHO with HO2 radicals at tropospheric temperatures.

Synthesis and Live-Cell Imaging of Fluorescent Sterols for Analysis of Intracellular Cholesterol Transport.

PubMed

Modzel, Maciej; Lund, Frederik W; Wüstner, Daniel

2017-01-01

Cellular cholesterol homeostasis relies on precise control of the sterol content of organelle membranes. Obtaining insight into cholesterol trafficking pathways and kinetics by live-cell imaging relies on two conditions. First, one needs to develop suitable analogs that resemble cholesterol as closely as possible with respect to their biophysical and biochemical properties. Second, the cholesterol analogs should have good fluorescence properties. This interferes, however, often with the first requirement, such that the imaging instrumentation must be optimized to collect photons from suboptimal fluorophores, but good cholesterol mimics, such as the intrinsically fluorescent sterols, cholestatrienol (CTL) or dehydroergosterol (DHE). CTL differs from cholesterol only in having two additional double bonds in the ring system, which is why it is slightly fluorescent in the ultraviolet (UV). In the first part of this protocol, we describe how to synthesize and image CTL in living cells relative to caveolin, a structural component of caveolae. In the second part, we explain in detail how to perform time-lapse experiments of commercially available BODIPY-tagged cholesterol (TopFluor-cholesterol ® ; TF-Chol) in comparison to DHE. Finally, using two-photon time-lapse imaging data of TF-Chol, we demonstrate how to use our imaging toolbox SpatTrack for tracking sterol rich vesicles in living cells over time.

The Development of Layered Photonic Band Gap Structures Using a Micro-Transfer Molding Technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sutherland, Kevin Jerome

Photonic band gap (PBG) crystals are periodic dielectric structures that manipulate electromagnetic radiation in a manner similar to semiconductor devices manipulating electrons. Whereas a semiconductor material exhibits an electronic band gap in which electrons cannot exist, similarly, a photonic crystal containing a photonic band gap does not allow the propagation of specific frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. This phenomenon results from the destructive Bragg diffraction interference that a wave propagating at a specific frequency will experience because of the periodic change in dielectric permitivity. This gives rise to a variety of optical applications for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of opto-electronicmore » devices. These applications are reviewed later. Several methods are currently used to fabricate photonic crystals, which are also discussed in detail. This research involves a layer-by-layer micro-transfer molding ({mu}TM) and stacking method to create three-dimensional FCC structures of epoxy or titania. The structures, once reduced significantly in size can be infiltrated with an organic gain media and stacked on a semiconductor to improve the efficiency of an electronically pumped light-emitting diode. Photonic band gap structures have been proven to effectively create a band gap for certain frequencies of electro-magnetic radiation in the microwave and near-infrared ranges. The objective of this research project was originally two-fold: to fabricate a three dimensional (3-D) structure of a size scaled to prohibit electromagnetic propagation within the visible wavelength range, and then to characterize that structure using laser dye emission spectra. As a master mold has not yet been developed for the micro transfer molding technique in the visible range, the research was limited to scaling down the length scale as much as possible with the current available technology and characterizing these structures with other methods.« less

Differential evolution algorithm based photonic structure design: numerical and experimental verification of subwavelength λ/5 focusing of light.

PubMed

Bor, E; Turduev, M; Kurt, H

2016-08-01

Photonic structure designs based on optimization algorithms provide superior properties compared to those using intuition-based approaches. In the present study, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate subwavelength focusing of light using wavelength scale absorption-free dielectric scattering objects embedded in an air background. An optimization algorithm based on differential evolution integrated into the finite-difference time-domain method was applied to determine the locations of each circular dielectric object with a constant radius and refractive index. The multiobjective cost function defined inside the algorithm ensures strong focusing of light with low intensity side lobes. The temporal and spectral responses of the designed compact photonic structure provided a beam spot size in air with a full width at half maximum value of 0.19λ, where λ is the wavelength of light. The experiments were carried out in the microwave region to verify numerical findings, and very good agreement between the two approaches was found. The subwavelength light focusing is associated with a strong interference effect due to nonuniformly arranged scatterers and an irregular index gradient. Improving the focusing capability of optical elements by surpassing the diffraction limit of light is of paramount importance in optical imaging, lithography, data storage, and strong light-matter interaction.

Differential evolution algorithm based photonic structure design: numerical and experimental verification of subwavelength λ/5 focusing of light

PubMed Central

Bor, E.; Turduev, M.; Kurt, H.

2016-01-01

Photonic structure designs based on optimization algorithms provide superior properties compared to those using intuition-based approaches. In the present study, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate subwavelength focusing of light using wavelength scale absorption-free dielectric scattering objects embedded in an air background. An optimization algorithm based on differential evolution integrated into the finite-difference time-domain method was applied to determine the locations of each circular dielectric object with a constant radius and refractive index. The multiobjective cost function defined inside the algorithm ensures strong focusing of light with low intensity side lobes. The temporal and spectral responses of the designed compact photonic structure provided a beam spot size in air with a full width at half maximum value of 0.19λ, where λ is the wavelength of light. The experiments were carried out in the microwave region to verify numerical findings, and very good agreement between the two approaches was found. The subwavelength light focusing is associated with a strong interference effect due to nonuniformly arranged scatterers and an irregular index gradient. Improving the focusing capability of optical elements by surpassing the diffraction limit of light is of paramount importance in optical imaging, lithography, data storage, and strong light-matter interaction. PMID:27477060

A 30 Mbps in-plane full-duplex light communication using a monolithic GaN photonic circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xumin; Yuan, Jialei; Yang, Yongchao; Li, Yuanhang; Yuan, Wei; Zhu, Guixia; Zhu, Hongbo; Feng, Meixin; Sun, Qian; Liu, Yuhuai; Wang, Yongjin

2017-07-01

We propose, fabricate and characterize photonic integration of a InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diode (MQW-LED), waveguide, ring resonator and InGaN/GaN MQW-photodiode on a single chip, in which the photonic circuit is suspended by the support beams. Both experimental observations and simulation results illustrate the manipulation of in-plane light coupling and propagation by the waveguide and the ring resonator. The monolithic photonic circuit forms an in-plane data communication system using visible light. When the two suspended InGaN/GaN MQW-diodes simultaneously serve as the transmitter and the receiver, an in-plane full-duplex light communication is experimentally demonstrated with a transmission rate of 30 Mbps, and the superimposed signals are extracted using the self-interference cancellation method. The suspended photonic circuit creates new possibilities for exploring the in-plane full-duplex light communication and manufacturing complex GaN-based monolithic photonic integrations.

Defining photon channels in strong-field physics: the photon-phase Fourier representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Shuo; Zohrabi, Mohammad; Berry, Ben; Ablikim, Utuq; Kling, Nora; Severt, Travis; Jochim, Bethany; Carnes, Kevin; Ben-Itzhak, Itzik; Esry, Brett

2014-05-01

In strong-field physics, complex atomic and molecular dynamics can be steered by the carrier-envelope phase (CEP). The general theory formulated in Refs., provides a rigorous foundation upon which this understanding might be built. By recognizing the underlying periodicity of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation--and thus its solutions--in the CEP, all CEP effects can be understood as the interference of different photon channels. We will show that this understanding can be turned around to extract information on the photon channel by examining the CEP dependence. In particular, by taking the Fourier transform with respect to the CEP, photon channel information can be extracted from both theory and experiment. Through several examples, we will also show that this technique can be applied to any system and provides knowledge of the net numbers of photons absorbed--even in few-cycle pulses--that is not available in any other way. This work was supported by the Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02-86ER13491. The PULSAR laser was provided by Grant No. DE-FG02-09.

Estimation of Orbital Neutron Detector Spatial Resolution by Systematic Shifting of Differential Topographic Masks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McClanahan, T. P.; Mitrofanov, I. G.; Boynton, W. V.; Chin, G.; Livengood, T.; Starr, R. D.; Evans, L. G.; Mazarico, E.; Smith, D. E.

2012-01-01

We present a method and preliminary results related to determining the spatial resolution of orbital neutron detectors using epithermal maps and differential topographic masks. Our technique is similar to coded aperture imaging methods for optimizing photonic signals in telescopes [I]. In that approach photon masks with known spatial patterns in a telescope aperature are used to systematically restrict incoming photons which minimizes interference and enhances photon signal to noise. Three orbital neutron detector systems with different stated spatial resolutions are evaluated. The differing spatial resolutions arise due different orbital altitudes and the use of neutron collimation techniques. 1) The uncollimated Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer (LPNS) system has spatial resolution of 45km FWHM from approx. 30km altitude mission phase [2]. The Lunar Rennaissance Orbiter (LRO) Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) with two detectors at 50km altitude evaluated here: 2) the collimated 10km FWHM spatial resolution detector CSETN and 3) LEND's collimated Sensor for Epithermal Neutrons (SETN). Thus providing two orbital altitudes to study factors of: uncollimated vs collimated and two average altitudes for their effect on fields-of-view.

Apparatus and method for creating a photonic densely-accumulated ray-point

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An optical apparatus includes an optical diffraction device configured for diffracting a predetermined wavelength of incident light onto adjacent optical focal points, and a photon detector for detecting a spectral characteristic of the predetermined wavelength. One of the optical focal points is a constructive interference point and the other optical focal point is a destructive interference point. The diffraction device, which may be a micro-zone plate (MZP) of micro-ring gratings or an optical lens, generates a constructive ray point using phase-contrasting of the destructive interference point. The ray point is located between adjacent optical focal points. A method of generating a densely-accumulated ray point includes directing incident light onto the optical diffraction device, diffracting the selected wavelength onto the constructive interference focal point and the destructive interference focal point, and generating the densely-accumulated ray point in a narrow region.

Interference-enhanced infrared-to-visible upconversion in solid-state thin films sensitized by colloidal nanocrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Mengfei; Jean, Joel; Bulović, Vladimir; Baldo, Marc A.

2017-05-01

Infrared-to-visible photon upconversion has potential applications in photovoltaics, sensing, and bioimaging. We demonstrate a solid-state thin-film device that utilizes sensitized triplet-triplet exciton annihilation, converting infrared photons absorbed by colloidal lead sulfide nanocrystals (NCs) into visible photons emitted from a luminescent dopant in rubrene at low incident light intensities. A typical bilayer device consisting of a monolayer of NCs and a doped film of rubrene is limited by low infrared absorption in the thin NC film. Here, we augment the bilayer with an optical spacer layer and a silver-film back reflector, resulting in interference effects that enhance the optical field and thus the absorption in the NC film. The interference-enhanced device shows an order-of-magnitude increase in the upconverted emission at the wavelength of λ = 610 nm when excited at λ = 980 nm. At incident light intensities above 1.1 W/cm2, the device attains maximum efficiency, converting (1.6 ± 0.2)% of absorbed infrared photons into higher-energy singlet excitons in rubrene.

Resonance--Continuum Interference in Light Higgs Boson Production at a Photon Collider

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dixon, Lance J.; Sofianatos, Yorgos; /SLAC /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2009-01-06

We study the effect of interference between the Standard Model Higgs boson resonance and the continuum background in the process {gamma}{gamma} {yields} H {yields} b{bar b} at a photon collider. Taking into account virtual gluon exchange between the final-state quarks, we calculate the leading corrections to the height of the resonance for the case of a light (m{sub H} < 160 GeV) Higgs boson. We find that the interference is destructive and around 0.1-0.2% of the peak height, depending on the mass of the Higgs and the scattering angle. This suppression is smaller by an order of magnitude than themore » anticipated experimental accuracy at a photon collider. However, the fractional suppression can be significantly larger if the Higgs coupling to b quarks is increased by physics beyond the Standard Model.« less

Functional photonic crystal fiber sensing devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villatoro, Joel; Finazzi, Vittoria; Pruneri, Valerio

2011-12-01

We report on a functional, highly reproducible and cost effective sensing platform based on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The platform consists of a centimeter-length segment of an index-guiding PCF fusion spliced to standard single mode fibers (SMFs). The voids of the PCF are intentionally sealed over an adequate length in the PCF-SMF interfaces. A microscopic collapsed region in the PCF induces a mode field mismatch which combined with the axial symmetry of the structure allow the efficient excitation and recombination or overlapping of azimuthal symmetric modes in the PCF. The transmission or reflection spectrum of the devices exhibits a high-visibility interference pattern or a single, profound and narrow notch. The interference pattern or the notch position shifts when the length of the PCF experiences microelongations or when liquids or coatings are present on the PCF surface. Thus, the platform here proposed can be useful for sensing diverse parameters such as strain, vibration, pressure, humidity, refractive index, gases, etc. Unlike other PCF-based sensing platforms the multiplexing of the devices here proposed is simple for which it is possible to implement PCF-based sensor arrays or networks.

Compact photonic crystal fiber refractometer based on modal interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Wei Chang; Chan, Chi Chiu; Tou, Zhi Qiang; Chen, Li Han; Leong, Kam Chew

2011-05-01

A compact photonic crystal fiber (PCF) refractometer based on modal interference has been proposed by the use of commercial fusion splicer to collapse the holes of PCF to form a Mach Zehnder interferometer by splitting the fundamental core mode into cladding and core modes in the PCF. Collapsed of holes was done at the interface between the single mode fiber and PCF, and the PCF's end. The shift of the interference fringes was measured when the sensor was placed into different refractive index liquid. High linear sensitivity of 253.13nm/RIU with resolution of 3.950×10-5RIU was obtained.

Emulating weak localization using a solid-state quantum circuit.

PubMed

Chen, Yu; Roushan, P; Sank, D; Neill, C; Lucero, Erik; Mariantoni, Matteo; Barends, R; Chiaro, B; Kelly, J; Megrant, A; Mutus, J Y; O'Malley, P J J; Vainsencher, A; Wenner, J; White, T C; Yin, Yi; Cleland, A N; Martinis, John M

2014-10-14

Quantum interference is one of the most fundamental physical effects found in nature. Recent advances in quantum computing now employ interference as a fundamental resource for computation and control. Quantum interference also lies at the heart of sophisticated condensed matter phenomena such as Anderson localization, phenomena that are difficult to reproduce in numerical simulations. Here, employing a multiple-element superconducting quantum circuit, with which we manipulate a single microwave photon, we demonstrate that we can emulate the basic effects of weak localization. By engineering the control sequence, we are able to reproduce the well-known negative magnetoresistance of weak localization as well as its temperature dependence. Furthermore, we can use our circuit to continuously tune the level of disorder, a parameter that is not readily accessible in mesoscopic systems. Demonstrating a high level of control, our experiment shows the potential for employing superconducting quantum circuits as emulators for complex quantum phenomena.

Tuning the Photon Statistics of a Strongly Coupled Nanophotonic System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dory, C.; Fischer, K. A.; Müller, K.; Lagoudakis, K. G.; Sarmiento, T.; Rundquist, A.; Zhang, J. L.; Kelaita, Y.; Sapra, N. V.; Vučković, J.

Strongly coupled quantum-dot-photonic-crystal cavity systems provide a nonlinear ladder of hybridized light-matter states, which are a promising platform for non-classical light generation. The transmission of light through such systems enables light generation with tunable photon counting statistics. By detuning the frequencies of quantum emitter and cavity, we can tune the transmission of light to strongly enhance either single- or two-photon emission processes. However, these nanophotonic systems show a strongly dissipative nature and classical light obscures any quantum character of the emission. In this work, we utilize a self-homodyne interference technique combined with frequency-filtering to overcome this obstacle. This allows us to generate emission with a strong two-photon component in the multi-photon regime, where we measure a second-order coherence value of g (2) [ 0 ] = 1 . 490 +/- 0 . 034 . We propose rate equation models that capture the dominant processes of emission both in the single- and multi-photon regimes and support them by quantum-optical simulations that fully capture the frequency filtering of emission from our solid-state system. Finally, we simulate a third-order coherence value of g (3) [ 0 ] = 0 . 872 +/- 0 . 021 . Army Research Office (ARO) (W911NF1310309), National Science Foundation (1503759), Stanford Graduate Fellowship.

Research of the absorbance detection and fluorescence detection for multifunctional nutrition analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Zhengyuan; Yan, Huimin; Ni, Xuxiang; Zhang, Xiuda

2017-10-01

The research of the multifunctional analyzer which integrates absorbance detection, fluorescence detection, time-resolved fluorescence detection, biochemical luminescence detection methods, can make efficient detection and analysis for a variety of human body nutrients. This article focuses on the absorbance detection and fluorescence detection system. The two systems are modular in design and controlled by embedded system, to achieve automatic measurement according to user settings. In the optical path design, the application of confocal design can improve the optical signal acquisition capability, and reduce the interference. A photon counter is used for detection, and a high performance counter module is designed to measure the output of photon counter. In the experiment, we use neutral density filters and potassium dichromate solution to test the absorbance detection system, and use fluorescein isothiocyanate FITC for fluorescence detection system performance test. The experimental results show that the absorbance detection system has a detection range of 0 4OD, and has good linearity in the detection range, while the fluorescence detection system has a high sensitivity of 1pmol/L concentration.

On-chip continuous-variable quantum entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masada, Genta; Furusawa, Akira

2016-09-01

Entanglement is an essential feature of quantum theory and the core of the majority of quantum information science and technologies. Quantum computing is one of the most important fruits of quantum entanglement and requires not only a bipartite entangled state but also more complicated multipartite entanglement. In previous experimental works to demonstrate various entanglement-based quantum information processing, light has been extensively used. Experiments utilizing such a complicated state need highly complex optical circuits to propagate optical beams and a high level of spatial interference between different light beams to generate quantum entanglement or to efficiently perform balanced homodyne measurement. Current experiments have been performed in conventional free-space optics with large numbers of optical components and a relatively large-sized optical setup. Therefore, they are limited in stability and scalability. Integrated photonics offer new tools and additional capabilities for manipulating light in quantum information technology. Owing to integrated waveguide circuits, it is possible to stabilize and miniaturize complex optical circuits and achieve high interference of light beams. The integrated circuits have been firstly developed for discrete-variable systems and then applied to continuous-variable systems. In this article, we review the currently developed scheme for generation and verification of continuous-variable quantum entanglement such as Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen beams using a photonic chip where waveguide circuits are integrated. This includes balanced homodyne measurement of a squeezed state of light. As a simple example, we also review an experiment for generating discrete-variable quantum entanglement using integrated waveguide circuits.

Discrimination of chemical vapor and temperature using an in-line modal interferometer based on an exterior hole-assisted polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Min-Seok; Jun, Naram; Lee, Sang Bae; Han, Young-Geun

2014-05-01

A reflective in-line modal interferometer based on a polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM-PCF) with two exterior air holes is proposed for simultaneous measurement of chemical vapor and temperature. After fusion-splicing the PM-PCF with a standard single-mode fiber, we collapse all of air holes in the PM-PCF resulting in two types of interference patterns between the core and the cladding modes in the PM-PCF depending on two polarization states. Since two large air holes at the facet of the proposed modal interferometer are left open, a chemical vapor can be infiltrated into the voids. Different sensitivities corresponding to input polarization states are utilized for discrimination between chemical vapor and temperature sensitivities.

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh sh!t: Semantics versus tabooness in speech production.

PubMed

White, Katherine K; Abrams, Lise; Koehler, Sarah M; Collins, Richard J

2017-04-01

While both semantic and highly emotional (i.e., taboo) words can interfere with speech production, different theoretical mechanisms have been proposed to explain why interference occurs. Two experiments investigated these theoretical approaches by comparing the magnitude of these two types of interference and the stages at which they occur during picture naming. Participants named target pictures superimposed with semantic, taboo, or unrelated distractor words that were presented at three different stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOA): -150 ms, 0 ms, or +150 ms. In addition, the duration of distractor presentation was manipulated across experiments, with distractors appearing for the duration of the picture (Experiment 1) or for 350 ms (Experiment 2). Taboo distractors interfered more than semantic distractors, i.e., slowed target naming times, at all SOAs. While distractor duration had no effect on type of interference at -150 or 0 SOAs, briefly presented distractors eliminated semantic interference but not taboo interference at +150 SOA. Discussion focuses on how existing speech production theories can explain interference from emotional distractors and the unique role that attention may play in taboo interference.

Shape and color naming are inherently asymmetrical: Evidence from practice-based interference.

PubMed

Protopapas, Athanassios; Markatou, Artemis; Samaras, Evangelos; Piokos, Andreas

2017-01-01

Stroop interference is characterized by strong asymmetry between word and color naming such that the former is faster and interferes with the latter but not vice versa. This asymmetry is attributed to differential experience with naming in the two dimensions, i.e., words and colors. Here we show that training on visual-verbal paired associate tasks equivalent to color and shape naming, not involving word reading, leads to strongly asymmetric interference patterns. In two experiments adults practiced naming colors and shapes, one dimension more extensively (10days) than the other (2days), depending on group assignment. One experiment used novel shapes (ideograms) and the other familiar geometric shapes, associated with nonsense syllables. In a third experiment participants practiced naming either colors or shapes using cross-category shape and color names, respectively, for 12days. Across experiments, despite equal training of the two groups in naming the two different dimensions, color naming was strongly affected by shape even after extensive practice, whereas shape naming was resistant to interference. To reconcile these findings with theoretical accounts of interference, reading may be conceptualized as involving visual-verbal associations akin to shape naming. An inherent or early-developing advantage for naming shapes may provide an evolutionary substrate for the invention and development of reading. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solid-state carrier-envelope phase stabilization via quantum interference control of injected photocurrents.

PubMed

Roos, P A; Li, Xiaoqin; Smith, R P; Pipis, Jessica A; Fortier, T M; Cundiff, S T

2005-04-01

We demonstrate carrier-envelope phase stabilization of a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser by use of quantum interference control of injected photocurrents in a semiconductor. No harmonic generation is required for this stabilization technique. Instead, interference between coexisting single- and two-photon absorption pathways in the semiconductor provides a phase comparison between different spectral components. The phase comparison, and the detection of the photocurrent that it produces, both occur within a single low-temperature-grown gallium arsenide sample. The carrier-envelope offset beat note fidelity is 30 dB in a 10-kHz resolution bandwidth. The out-of-loop phase-noise level is essentially identical to the best previous measurements with the standard self-referencing technique.

Low-noise quantum frequency down-conversion of indistinguishable photons (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kambs, Benjamin; Kettler, Jan; Bock, Matthias; Becker, Jonas; Arend, Carsten; Jetter, Michael; Michler, Peter; Becher, Christoph

2016-04-01

Single-photon sources based on quantum dots have been shown to exhibit almost ideal properties such as high brightness and purity in terms of clear anti-bunching as well as high two-photon interference visibilities of the emitted photons, making them promising candidates for different quantum information applications such as quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum teleportation. However, as most single-photon sources also quantum dots typically emit light at wavelengths of electronic transitions within the visible or the near infrared range. In order to establish quantum networks with remote building blocks, low-loss single photons at telecom wavelengths are preferable, though. Despite recent progress on emitters of telecom-photons, the most efficient single-photon sources still work at shorter wavelengths. On that matter, quantum frequency down-conversion, being a nonlinear optical process, has been used in recent years to alter the wavelength of single photons to the telecom wavelength range while conserving their nonclassical properties. Characteristics such as lifetime, first-order coherence, anti-bunching and entanglement have been shown to be conserved or even improved due to background suppression during the conversion process, while the conservation of indistinguishability was yet to be shown. Here we present our experimental results on quantum frequency down-conversion of single photons emitted by an InAs/GaAs quantum dot at 903.6 nm following a pulsed excitation of a p-shell exciton at 884 nm. The emitted fluorescence photons are mixed with a strong pump-field at 2155 nm inside a periodically poled lithium niobate ridge waveguide and converted to 1557 nm. Common issues of a large background due to Raman-scattered pump-light photons spectrally overlapping with the converted single photons could largely be avoided, as the pump-wavelength was chosen to be fairly longer than the target wavelength. Additional narrowband spectral filtering at the telecom regime as a result of the small conversion bandwidth and using a high-performance fiber-Bragg-grating solely left the detector dark counts as the only noise source in our setup. Therefore, we could achieve conversion efficiencies of more than 20 %. In order to test the indistinguishability, sequentially emitted photons were fed into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and spatially as well as temporally overlapped at the output beam splitter. Cross-correlation measurements between both output-ports of the beam splitter exhibit two-photon interference contrasts of more than 40 % prior to and after the down-conversion step. Accordingly, we demonstrate that the process of quantum frequency conversion preserves photon indistinguishability and can be used to establish a versatile source of indistinguishable single photons at the telecom C-Band. Furthermore our scheme allows for converting photons in a wavelength band from 900 nm to 910 nm to the same telecom target wavelength. This enables us to test indistinguishability of frequency-converted photons, originally stemming from different sources with dinstinguishable wavelengths.

Quantum control of molecular fragmentation in strong laser fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zohrabi, Mohammad

Present advances in laser technology allow the production of ultrashort (<˜5 fs, approaching single cycle at 800 nm), intense tabletop laser pulses. At these high intensities laser-matter interactions cannot be described with perturbation theory since multiphoton processes are involved. This is in contrast to photodissociation by the absorption of a single photon, which is well described by perturbation theory. For example, at high intensities (<˜5x1013 W/cm2) the fragmentation of molecular hydrogen ions has been observed via the absorption of three or more photons. In another example, an intriguing dissociation mechanism has been observed where molecular hydrogen ions seem to fragment by apparently absorbing no photons. This is actually a two photon process, photoabsorption followed by stimulated emission, resulting in low energy fragments. We are interested in exploring these kinds of multiphoton processes. Our research group has studied the dynamics and control of fragmentation induced by strong laser fields in a variety of molecular targets. The main goal is to provide a basic understanding of fragmentation mechanisms and possible control schemes of benchmark systems such as H2+. This knowledge is further extended to more complex systems like the benchmark H3+ polyatomic and other molecules. In this dissertation, we report research based on two types of experiments. In the first part, we describe laser-induced fragmentation of molecular ion-beam targets. In the latter part, we discuss the formation of highly-excited neutral fragments from hydrogen molecules using ultrashort laser pulses. In carrying out these experiments, we have also extended experimental techniques beyond their previous capabilities. We have performed a few experiments to advance our understanding of laser-induced fragmentation of molecular-ion beams. For instance, we explored vibrationally resolved spectra of O2+ dissociation using various wavelengths. We observed a vibrational suppression effect in the dissociation spectra due to the small magnitude of the dipole transition moment, which depends on the photon energy --- a phenomenon known as Cooper minima. By changing the laser wavelength, the Cooper minima shift, a fact that was used to identify the dissociation pathways. In another project, we studied the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependences of highly-excited fragments from hydrogen molecules. General CEP theory predicts a CEP dependence in the total dissociation yield due to the interference of dissociation pathways differing by an even net number of photons, and our measurements are consistent with this prediction. Moreover, we were able to extract the difference in the net number of photons involved in the interfering pathways by using a Fourier analysis. In terms of our experimental method, we have implemented a pump-probe style technique on a thin molecular ion-beam target and explored the feasibility of such experiments. The results presented in this work should lead to a better understanding of the dynamics and control in molecular fragmentation induced by intense laser fields.

Nonclassicality Criteria in Multiport Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigovacca, L.; Di Franco, C.; Metcalf, B. J.; Walmsley, I. A.; Kim, M. S.

2016-11-01

Interference lies at the heart of the behavior of classical and quantum light. It is thus crucial to understand the boundaries between which interference patterns can be explained by a classical electromagnetic description of light and which, on the other hand, can only be understood with a proper quantum mechanical approach. While the case of two-mode interference has received a lot of attention, the multimode case has not yet been fully explored. Here we study a general scenario of intensity interferometry: we derive a bound on the average correlations between pairs of output intensities for the classical wavelike model of light, and we show how it can be violated in a quantum framework. As a consequence, this violation acts as a nonclassicality witness, able to detect the presence of sources with sub-Poissonian photon-number statistics. We also develop a criterion that can certify the impossibility of dividing a given interferometer into two independent subblocks.

Intrinsic cavity QED and emergent quasinormal modes for a single photon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, H.; Gong, Z. R.; Ian, H.; Zhou, Lan; Sun, C. P.

2009-06-01

We propose a special cavity design that is constructed by terminating a one-dimensional waveguide with a perfect mirror at one end and doping a two-level atom at the other. We show that this atom plays the intrinsic role of a semitransparent mirror for single-photon transports such that quasinormal modes emerge spontaneously in the cavity system. This atomic mirror has its reflection coefficient tunable through its level spacing and its coupling to the cavity field, for which the cavity system can be regarded as a two-end resonator with a continuously tunable leakage. The overall investigation predicts the existence of quasibound states in the waveguide continuum. Solid-state implementations based on a dc-superconducting quantum interference device circuit and a defected line resonator embedded in a photonic crystal are illustrated to show the experimental accessibility of the generic model.

High-Visibility Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometer as Multifunctional Sensor

PubMed Central

Cárdenas-Sevilla, G.A.; Fávero, Fernando C.; Villatoro, Joel

2013-01-01

A photonic crystal fiber (PCF) interferometer that exhibits record fringe contrast (∼40 dB) is demonstrated along with its sensing applications. The device operates in reflection mode and consists of a centimeter-long segment of properly selected PCF fusion spliced to single mode optical fibers. Two identical collapsed zones in the PCF combined with its modal properties allow high-visibility interference patterns. The interferometer is suitable for refractometric and liquid level sensing. The measuring refractive index range goes from 1.33 to 1.43 and the maximum resolution is ∼1.6 × 10−5. PMID:23396192

Toward Scalable Boson Sampling with Photon Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hui; Li, Wei; Jiang, Xiao; He, Y.-M.; Li, Y.-H.; Ding, X.; Chen, M.-C.; Qin, J.; Peng, C.-Z.; Schneider, C.; Kamp, M.; Zhang, W.-J.; Li, H.; You, L.-X.; Wang, Z.; Dowling, J. P.; Höfling, S.; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

2018-06-01

Boson sampling is a well-defined task that is strongly believed to be intractable for classical computers, but can be efficiently solved by a specific quantum simulator. However, an outstanding problem for large-scale experimental boson sampling is the scalability. Here we report an experiment on boson sampling with photon loss, and demonstrate that boson sampling with a few photons lost can increase the sampling rate. Our experiment uses a quantum-dot-micropillar single-photon source demultiplexed into up to seven input ports of a 16 ×16 mode ultralow-loss photonic circuit, and we detect three-, four- and fivefold coincidence counts. We implement and validate lossy boson sampling with one and two photons lost, and obtain sampling rates of 187, 13.6, and 0.78 kHz for five-, six-, and seven-photon boson sampling with two photons lost, which is 9.4, 13.9, and 18.0 times faster than the standard boson sampling, respectively. Our experiment shows an approach to significantly enhance the sampling rate of multiphoton boson sampling.

Toward Scalable Boson Sampling with Photon Loss.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Li, Wei; Jiang, Xiao; He, Y-M; Li, Y-H; Ding, X; Chen, M-C; Qin, J; Peng, C-Z; Schneider, C; Kamp, M; Zhang, W-J; Li, H; You, L-X; Wang, Z; Dowling, J P; Höfling, S; Lu, Chao-Yang; Pan, Jian-Wei

2018-06-08

Boson sampling is a well-defined task that is strongly believed to be intractable for classical computers, but can be efficiently solved by a specific quantum simulator. However, an outstanding problem for large-scale experimental boson sampling is the scalability. Here we report an experiment on boson sampling with photon loss, and demonstrate that boson sampling with a few photons lost can increase the sampling rate. Our experiment uses a quantum-dot-micropillar single-photon source demultiplexed into up to seven input ports of a 16×16 mode ultralow-loss photonic circuit, and we detect three-, four- and fivefold coincidence counts. We implement and validate lossy boson sampling with one and two photons lost, and obtain sampling rates of 187, 13.6, and 0.78 kHz for five-, six-, and seven-photon boson sampling with two photons lost, which is 9.4, 13.9, and 18.0 times faster than the standard boson sampling, respectively. Our experiment shows an approach to significantly enhance the sampling rate of multiphoton boson sampling.

Dual-task interference in visual working memory: A limitation in storage capacity but not in encoding or retrieval

PubMed Central

Fougnie, Daryl; Marois, René

2009-01-01

The concurrent maintenance of two visual working memory (VWM) arrays can lead to profound interference. It is unclear, however, whether these costs arise from limitations in VWM storage capacity (Fougnie & Marois, 2006), or from interference between the storage of one visual array and encoding or retrieval of another visual array (Cowan & Morey, 2007). Here, we show that encoding a VWM array does not interfere with maintenance of another VWM array unless the two displays exceed maintenance capacity (Experiments 1 and 2). Moreover, manipulating the extent to which encoding and maintenance can interfere with one another had no discernable effect on dual-task performance (Experiment 2). Finally, maintenance of a VWM array was not affected by retrieval of information from another VWM array (Experiment 3). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that dual-task interference between two concurrent VWM tasks is due to a capacity-limited store that is independent from encoding and retrieval processes. PMID:19933566

Method for detection of dental caries and periodontal disease using optical imaging

DOEpatents

Nathel, Howard; Kinney, John H.; Otis, Linda L.

1996-01-01

A method for detecting the presence of active and inactive caries in teeth and diagnosing periodontal disease uses non-ionizing radiation with techniques for reducing interference from scattered light. A beam of non-ionizing radiation is divided into sample and reference beams. The region to be examined is illuminated by the sample beam, and reflected or transmitted radiation from the sample is recombined with the reference beam to form an interference pattern on a detector. The length of the reference beam path is adjustable, allowing the operator to select the reflected or transmitted sample photons that recombine with the reference photons. Thus radiation scattered by the dental or periodontal tissue can be prevented from obscuring the interference pattern. A series of interference patterns may be generated and interpreted to locate dental caries and periodontal tissue interfaces.

Ultracompact photonic crystal polarization beam splitter based on multimode interference.

PubMed

Lu, Ming-Feng; Liao, Shan-Mei; Huang, Yang-Tung

2010-02-01

We propose a theoretical design for a compact photonic crystal (PC) polarization beam splitter (PBS) based on the multimode interference (MMI) effect. The size of a conventional MMI device designed by the self-imaging principle is not compact enough; therefore, we design a compact PC PBS based on the difference of the interference effect between TE and TM modes. Within the MMI coupler, the dependence of interference of modes on propagation distance is weak for a TE wave and strong for a TM wave; as a result, the length of the MMI section can be only seven lattice constants. Simulation results show that the insertion losses are 0.32 and 0.89 dB, and the extinction ratios are 14.4 and 17.5 dB for Port 1 (TE mode) and Port 2 (TM mode), respectively.

Tuning single-photon sources for telecom multi-photon experiments.

PubMed

Greganti, Chiara; Schiansky, Peter; Calafell, Irati Alonso; Procopio, Lorenzo M; Rozema, Lee A; Walther, Philip

2018-02-05

Multi-photon state generation is of great interest for near-future quantum simulation and quantum computation experiments. To-date spontaneous parametric down-conversion is still the most promising process, even though two major impediments still exist: accidental photon noise (caused by the probabilistic non-linear process) and imperfect single-photon purity (arising from spectral entanglement between the photon pairs). In this work, we overcome both of these difficulties by (1) exploiting a passive temporal multiplexing scheme and (2) carefully optimizing the spectral properties of the down-converted photons using periodically-poled KTP crystals. We construct two down-conversion sources in the telecom wavelength regime, finding spectral purities of > 91%, while maintaining high four-photon count rates. We use single-photon grating spectrometers together with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to perform a detailed characterization of our multi-photon source. Our methods provide practical solutions to produce high-quality multi-photon states, which are in demand for many quantum photonics applications.

Enhanced light extraction of scintillator using large-area photonic crystal structures fabricated by soft-X-ray interference lithography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Zhichao; Wu, Shuang; Liu, Bo, E-mail: lbo@tongji.edu.cn

2015-06-15

Soft-X-ray interference lithography is utilized in combination with atomic layer deposition to prepare photonic crystal structures on the surface of Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12} (BGO) scintillator in order to extract the light otherwise trapped in the internal of scintillator due to total internal reflection. An enhancement with wavelength- and emergence angle-integration by 95.1% has been achieved. This method is advantageous to fabricate photonic crystal structures with large-area and high-index-contrast which enable a high-efficient coupling of evanescent field and the photonic crystal structures. Generally, the method demonstrated in this work is also suitable for many other light emitting devices where amore » large-area is required in the practical applications.« less

Dual-hole Photonic Crystal Fiber Intermodal Interference based Refractometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Feng; Guo, Xuan; Zhang, Qing; Fu, Xinghu

2017-12-01

A refractive-index (RI) sensor and its sensing characteristics based on intermodal interference of dual-hole Polarization Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber (PM-PCF) are demonstrated in this letter. The sensor works from the interference between LP01 and LP11 modes of hydrofluoric acid etched PM-PCF. The influence of corrosion zone radius on the RI sensing sensitivity is also discussed. Via choosing a 2.5 cm etched PM-PCF(the etched area radius is 27.5 μm) and 650 nm laser, the sensor exhibits the RI sensitivity of 7.48 V/RIU. The simple sensor structure and inexpensive demodulation method can make this technology for online refractive index measurement in widespread areas.

Femtosecond laser pulse optimization for multiphoton cytometry and control of fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tkaczyk, Eric Robert

This body of work encompasses optimization of near infrared femtosecond laser pulses both for enhancement of flow cytometry as well as adaptive pulse shaping to control fluorescence. A two-photon system for in vivo flow cytometry is demonstrated, which allows noninvasive quantification of circulating cell populations in a single live mouse. We monitor fluorescently-labeled red blood cells for more than two weeks, and are also able to noninvasively measure circulation times of two distinct populations of breast cancer cells simultaneously in a single mouse. We build a custom laser excitation source in the form of an extended cavity mode-locked oscillator, which enables superior detection in whole blood or saline of cell lines expressing fluorescent proteins including the green fluorescent protein (GFP), tdTomato and mPlum. A mathematical model explains unique features of the signals. The ability to distinguish different fluorescent species is central to simultaneous measurement of multiple molecular targets in high throughput applications including the multiphoton flow cytometer. We demonstrate that two dyes which are not distinguishable to one-photon measurements can be differentiated and in fact quantified in mixture via phase-shaped two-photon excitation pulses found by a genetic algorithm. We also selectively enhance or suppress two-photon fluorescence of numerous common dyes with tailored pulse shapes. Using a multiplicative (rather than ratiometric) fitness parameter, we are able to control the fluorescence while maintaining a strong signal. With this method, we control the two-photon fluorescence of the blue fluorescent protein (BFP), which is of particular interest in investigations of protein-protein interactions, and has frustrated previous attempts of control. Implementing an acousto-optic interferometer, we use the same experimental setup to measure two-photon excitation cross-sections of dyes and prove that photon-photon interferences are the predominant mechanism of control. This research establishes the basis for molecularly tailored pulse shaping in multiphoton flow cytometry, which will advance our ability to probe the biology of circulating cells during disease progression and response to therapy.

Tensor network states in time-bin quantum optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubasch, Michael; Valido, Antonio A.; Renema, Jelmer J.; Kolthammer, W. Steven; Jaksch, Dieter; Kim, M. S.; Walmsley, Ian; García-Patrón, Raúl

2018-06-01

The current shift in the quantum optics community towards experiments with many modes and photons necessitates new classical simulation techniques that efficiently encode many-body quantum correlations and go beyond the usual phase-space formulation. To address this pressing demand we formulate linear quantum optics in the language of tensor network states. We extensively analyze the quantum and classical correlations of time-bin interference in a single fiber loop. We then generalize our results to more complex time-bin quantum setups and identify different classes of architectures for high-complexity and low-overhead boson sampling experiments.

Realizing a Circuit Analog of an Optomechanical System with Longitudinally Coupled Superconducting Resonators.

PubMed

Eichler, C; Petta, J R

2018-06-01

We realize a superconducting circuit analog of the generic cavity-optomechanical Hamiltonian by longitudinally coupling two superconducting resonators, which are an order of magnitude different in frequency. We achieve longitudinal coupling by embedding a superconducting quantum interference device into a high frequency resonator, making its resonance frequency depend on the zero point current fluctuations of a nearby low frequency LC resonator. By applying sideband drive fields we enhance the intrinsic coupling strength of about 15 kHz up to 280 kHz by controlling the amplitude of the drive field. Our results pave the way towards the exploration of optomechanical effects in a fully superconducting platform and could enable quantum optics experiments with photons in the yet unexplored radio frequency band.

Electric field-induced coherent control in GaAs: polarization dependence and electrical measurement [Invited].

PubMed

Wahlstrand, J K; Zhang, H; Choi, S B; Sipe, J E; Cundiff, S T

2011-11-07

A static electric field enables coherent control of the photoexcited carrier density in a semiconductor through the interference of one- and two-photon absorption. An experiment using optical detection is described. The polarization dependence of the signal is consistent with a calculation using a 14-band k · p model for GaAs. We also describe an electrical measurement. A strong enhancement of the phase-dependent photocurrent through a metal-semiconductor-metal structure is observed when a bias of a few volts is applied. The dependence of the signal on bias and laser spot position is studied. The field-induced enhancement of the signal could increase the sensitivity of semiconductor-based carrier-envelope phase detectors, useful in stabilizing mode-locked lasers for use in frequency combs.

Analysis of an optically controlled photonic switch.

PubMed

Attard, A E

1999-05-20

The principle that the coupling of light between two fiber waveguides can be controlled by the resonant interference of a third waveguide has been developed [Attard, Appl. Opt. 37, 2296-2302 (1998)]. Here significant details concerning the operation of a photonic switch are obtained, and a more complete analysis is presented. Multiple-resonant conditions are identified for slab and fiber control waveguides at large indices of refraction. Thus a selection of materials with an appropriate refractive index and a Kerr coefficient is rendered more easily. Furthermore it is shown that the light used to control the index of refraction in the control waveguide does not enter the output of the photonic switch but remains confined to the control waveguide, for either a slab or a multimode fiber control waveguide. Spatial fluctuations of the control light beam in the control waveguide do not affect the operation of the photonic switch. Tolerances have been determined for the spacing between the control waveguide and the photonic coupler and also for the index of refraction of the control waveguide.

Dual-function photonic integrated circuit for frequency octo-tupling or single-side-band modulation.

PubMed

Hasan, Mehedi; Maldonado-Basilio, Ramón; Hall, Trevor J

2015-06-01

A dual-function photonic integrated circuit for microwave photonic applications is proposed. The circuit consists of four linear electro-optic phase modulators connected optically in parallel within a generalized Mach-Zehnder interferometer architecture. The photonic circuit is arranged to have two separate output ports. A first port provides frequency up-conversion of a microwave signal from the electrical to the optical domain; equivalently single-side-band modulation. A second port provides tunable millimeter wave carriers by frequency octo-tupling of an appropriate amplitude RF carrier. The circuit exploits the intrinsic relative phases between the ports of multi-mode interference couplers to provide substantially all the static optical phases needed. The operation of the proposed dual-function photonic integrated circuit is verified by computer simulations. The performance of the frequency octo-tupling and up-conversion functions is analyzed in terms of the electrical signal to harmonic distortion ratio and the optical single side band to unwanted harmonics ratio, respectively.

Coherent Effects in Tiny Optics: Tunneling Through the Looking Glass

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David D.

2003-01-01

I will discuss two types of one-dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG) effects that can arise in systems of coupled spherical resonators: (1) nearly-free-photon Fabry-Perot photonic bands that arise in quarter-wave concentrically stratified spheres and, (2) tight- binding photonic bands that arise in weakly-coupled mutually-resonant spheres as a result of whispering-gallery mode splitting. These effects can be derived directly from Mie theory, in a more straightforward manner, by exploiting an analogy with stratified planar systems. For odd numbers of mutually-resonant lossless coupled ring resonators, the circulating intensity can increase exponentially with the number of resonators, which can potentially be exploited for the development of advanced sensors. For even numbers of resonators, mode splitting and classical destructive interference lead to a cancellation of absorption and slow light on-resonance, reminiscent of electromagnetic induced transparency. The analogy between these coherent photon trapping effects and population trapping in an atomic system will be explored.

Inexpensive Audio Activities: Earbud-based Sound Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Joshua; Boucher, Alex; Meggison, Dean; Hruby, Kate; Vesenka, James

2016-11-01

Inexpensive alternatives to a number of classic introductory physics sound laboratories are presented including interference phenomena, resonance conditions, and frequency shifts. These can be created using earbuds, economical supplies such as Giant Pixie Stix® wrappers, and free software available for PCs and mobile devices. We describe two interference laboratories (beat frequency and two-speaker interference) and two resonance laboratories (quarter- and half-wavelength). Lastly, a Doppler laboratory using rotating earbuds is explained. The audio signal captured by all experiments is analyzed on free spectral analysis software and many of the experiments incorporate the unifying theme of measuring the speed of sound in air.

Coherent destruction of tunneling in chaotic microcavities via three-state anti-crossings

PubMed Central

Song, Qinghai; Gu, Zhiyuan; Liu, Shuai; Xiao, Shumin

2014-01-01

Coherent destruction of tunneling (CDT) has been one seminal result of quantum dynamics control. Traditionally, CDT is understood as destructive interference between two intermediate transition paths near the level crossing. CDT near the level anti-crossings, especially the “locking”, has not been thoroughly explored so far. Taking chaotic microcavity as an example, here we study the inhibition of the tunneling via the strong couplings of three resonances. While the tunneling rate is only slightly affected by each strong coupling between two modes, the destructive interference between two strong couplings can dramatically improve the inhibition of the tunneling. A “locking” point, where dynamical tunneling is completely suppressed, has even been observed. We believe our finding will shed light on researches on micro- & nano-photonics. PMID:24781881

Attosecond-resolution Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry.

PubMed

Lyons, Ashley; Knee, George C; Bolduc, Eliot; Roger, Thomas; Leach, Jonathan; Gauger, Erik M; Faccio, Daniele

2018-05-01

When two indistinguishable photons are each incident on separate input ports of a beamsplitter, they "bunch" deterministically, exiting via the same port as a direct consequence of their bosonic nature. This two-photon interference effect has long-held the potential for application in precision measurement of time delays, such as those induced by transparent specimens with unknown thickness profiles. However, the technique has never achieved resolutions significantly better than the few-femtosecond (micrometer) scale other than in a common-path geometry that severely limits applications. We develop the precision of Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry toward the ultimate limits dictated by statistical estimation theory, achieving few-attosecond (or nanometer path length) scale resolutions in a dual-arm geometry, thus providing access to length scales pertinent to cell biology and monoatomic layer two-dimensional materials.

Frequency up-shift in the stimulated thermal scattering under two-photon absorption in liquids and colloids of metal nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smetanin, I. V.; Erokhin, A. I.; Baranov, A. N.

2018-07-01

We report the results of the experimental and theoretical study of stimulated temperature scattering in toluene and hexane solutions of Ag-nanoparticles, as well as in pure toluene in the two-photon absorption regime. A four-wave mixing scheme with two counter-propagating pump waves of the same frequency is utilised to demonstrate the lasing effect and the amplification of the backscattered anti-Stokes signal. For the first time, we have measured anti-Stokes spectral shifts which turn out to appreciably exceed the Rayleigh line widths in those liquids. It is shown that the amplification effect is provided predominantly by thermally induced coherent polarisation oscillations, while the dynamic interference temperature grating causes the formation of a self-induced optical cavity inside the interaction region.

Techniques for measuring the atomic recoil frequency using a grating-echo atom interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrett, Brynle

I have developed three types of time-domain echo atom interferometer (AIs) that use either two or three standing-wave pulses in different configurations. Experiments approaching the transit time limit are achieved using samples of laser-cooled rubidium atoms with temperatures < 5 μK contained within a glass vacuum chamber—an environment that is largely free of both magnetic fields and field gradients. The principles of the atom-interferometric measurement of Eq can be understood based on a description of the "two-pulse" AI. This interferometer uses two standing-wave pulses applied at times t = 0 and t = T 21 to create a superposition of atomic momentum states differing by multiples of the two-photon momentum, ħq = 2 ħk where k is the optical wave number, that interfere in the vicinity of t = 2T 21. This interference or "echo" manifests itself as a density grating in the atomic sample, and is probed by applying a near-resonant traveling-wave "read-out" pulse and measuring the intensity of the coherent light Bragg-scattered in the backward direction. The scattered light from the grating is associated with a λ/2-periodic modulation produced by the interference of momentum states differing by ħq. Interfering states that differ by more than ħq—which produce higher-frequency spatial modulation within the sample—cannot be detected due to the nature of the Bragg scattering detection technique employed in the experiment. The intensity of the scattered light varies in a periodic manner as a function of the standing-wave pulse separation, T21. The fundamental frequency of this modulation is the two-photon atomic recoil frequency, ω q = ħq2/2M, where q = 2k and M is the mass of the atom (a rubidium isotope in this case). The recoil frequency, ω q, is related to the recoil energy, Eq = ħωq, which is the kinetic energy associated with the recoil of the atom after a coherent two-photon scattering process. By performing the experiment on a suitably long time scale ( T21 >> τq = π/ω q ˜32 μs), ωq can be measured precisely. Since ωq contains the ratio of Planck's constant to the mass of the atom, h/M, a precise measurement of ωq can be used as a strict test of quantum theories of the electromagnetic force. This two-pulse technique has a number of disadvantages for a precision measurement of ωq, such as a complicated functional dependence on T21 (due to the nature of Kapitza-Dirac diffraction, the level structure of the atom, and spontaneous emission). However, many of these difficulties can be avoided by using a three-pulse "perturbative" echo technique, where a third standing-wave pulse is applied at t = T21 + δT , with δT < T21. The function of the third pulse is to convert the difference between interfering momentum states from nħq (n > 1) to ħq. In this manner, interference between high-order momentum states contributes more significantly to the three-pulse echo than to the two-pulse echo. By fixing T21 and varying δT between the second standing-wave pulse and the echo time, the signal exhibits a simple shape with narrow fringes that revive periodically at the recoil period, τq. Using this technique, I have achieved a single measurement of ωq with a relative statistical uncertainty of ˜ 180 parts per 109 (ppb) on a time scale of 2T21 ˜ 72 ms in ˜ 15 minutes of data acquisition. Further improvements are anticipated by extending the experimental time scale and narrowing the signal fringe width. To demonstrate the final statistical uncertainty using the current configuration of the experiment, I acquired 82 individual measurements of ω q under the same experimental conditions. This resulted in a final measurement with a statistical precision of 37 ppb. However, this measurement is currently overwhelmed by systematic errors at the level of ˜ 5.7 parts per 106 (ppm). The first survey of systematic effects on the measurement of ωq with this technique has also been carried out, where individual measurements had relative statistical uncertainties of ≲ 1 ppm. These experimental studies, along with theoretical calculations, can be used to reduce and eliminate such effects in future rounds of experimentation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Spatially multiplexed orbital-angular-momentum-encoded single photon and classical channels in a free-space optical communication link.

PubMed

Ren, Yongxiong; Liu, Cong; Pang, Kai; Zhao, Jiapeng; Cao, Yinwen; Xie, Guodong; Li, Long; Liao, Peicheng; Zhao, Zhe; Tur, Moshe; Boyd, Robert W; Willner, Alan E

2017-12-01

We experimentally demonstrate spatial multiplexing of an orbital angular momentum (OAM)-encoded quantum channel and a classical Gaussian beam with a different wavelength and orthogonal polarization. Data rates as large as 100 MHz are achieved by encoding on two different OAM states by employing a combination of independently modulated laser diodes and helical phase holograms. The influence of OAM mode spacing, encoding bandwidth, and interference from the co-propagating Gaussian beam on registered photon count rates and quantum bit error rates is investigated. Our results show that the deleterious effects of intermodal crosstalk effects on system performance become less important for OAM mode spacing Δ≥2 (corresponding to a crosstalk value of less than -18.5  dB). The use of OAM domain can additionally offer at least 10.4 dB isolation besides that provided by wavelength and polarization, leading to a further suppression of interference from the classical channel.

Optical Nonlinearities in Semiconductors for Limiting.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuan-Yen

I have conducted detailed experimental and theoretical studies of the nonlinear optical properties of semiconductor materials useful for optical limiting. I have constructed optical limiters utilizing two-photon absorption along with photogenerated carrier defocusing as well as the bound electronic nonlinearity using the semiconducting material ZnSe. I have optimized the focusing geometry to achieve a large dynamic range while maintaining a low limiting energy for the device. The ZnSe monolithic optical limiter has achieved a limiting energy as low as 13 nJ (corresponding to 300W peak power) and a dynamic range as large as 10 ^5 at 532 nm using psec pulses. Theoretical analysis showed that the ZnSe device has a broad-band response covering the wavelength range from 550 nm to 800 nm. Moreover, I found that existing theoretical models (e.g. the Auston model and the band-resonant model using Boltzmann statistics) adequately describe the photo-generated carriers refractive nonlinearity in ZnSe. Material nonlinear optical parameters, such as the two-photon absorption coefficient beta _2 = 5.5 cm/GW, the refraction per unit carrier density sigma_{rm n} = -0.8cdot 10^ {-21}cm^3 and the bound electronic refraction n_2 = -4cdot 10^{ -11}esu, have been measured via time-integrated beam distortion experiments in the near field. A numerical code has been written to simulate the beam distortion in order to extract the previously mentioned material parameters. In addition, I have performed time-resolved distortion measurements that provide an intuitive picture of the carrier generation process via two-photon absorption. I also characterized the optical nonlinearities in a ZnSe Fabry-Perot thin film structure (an interference filter). I concluded that the nonlinear absorption alone in the thin film is insufficient to build an effective optical limiter, as it did not show a net change in refraction using psec pulses. An innovative numerical program was developed to simulate the nonlinear beam propagation inside the Fabry-Perot structure. For comparison, pump-probe experiments were performed using both thin film and bulk ZnSe. The results showed relatively long carrier lifetimes (>300 psec) in both samples. A numerical code was written to fit the pump-probe experimental results. The fitting yielded that carrier lifetimes (recombination through traps), radiative decay rate, two-photon absorption coefficient as well as the free carrier absorption coefficient for ZnSe bulk material.

Time-evolution of photon heat current through series coupled two mesoscopic Josephson junction devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wen-Ting; Zhao, Hong-Kang; Wang, Jian

2018-03-01

Photon heat current tunneling through a series coupled two mesoscopic Josephson junction (MJJ) system biased by dc voltages has been investigated by employing the nonequilibrium Green’s function approach. The time-oscillating photon heat current is contributed by the superposition of different current branches associated with the frequencies of MJJs ω j (j = 1, 2). Nonlinear behaviors are exhibited to be induced by the self-inductance, Coulomb interaction, and interference effect relating to the coherent transport of Cooper pairs in the MJJs. Time-oscillating pumping photon heat current is generated in the absence of temperature difference, while it becomes zero after time-average. The combination of ω j and Coulomb interactions in the MJJs determines the concrete heat current configuration. As the external and intrinsic frequencies ω j and ω 0 of MJJs match some specific combinations, resonant photon heat current exhibits sinusoidal behaviors with large amplitudes. Symmetric and asymmetric evolutions versus time t with respect to ω 1 t and ω 2 t are controlled by the applied dc voltages of V 1 and V 2. The dc photon heat current formula is a special case of the general time-dependent heat current formula when the bias voltages are settled to zero. The Aharonov-Bohm effect has been investigated, and versatile oscillation structures of photon heat current can be achieved by tuning the magnetic fluxes threading through separating MJJs.

Miniature fiber Fabry-Perot sensors based on fusion splicing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jia-li; Wang, Ming; Yang, Chun-di; Wang, Ting-ting

2013-03-01

Fiber-optic Fabry-Perot (F-P) sensors are widely investigated because they have several advantages over conventional sensors, such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, ability to operate under bad environments, high sensitivity and the potential for multiplexing. A new method to fabricate micro-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer is introduced, which is fusion splicing a section of conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) and a section of hollow core or solid core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) together to form a micro-cavity at the splice joint. The technology of fusion splicing is discussed, and two miniature optical fiber sensors based on Fabry-Perot interference using fusion splicing are presented. The two sensors are completely made of fused silica, and have good high-temperature capability.

[Optics heterodyne detection of the autoionization state of barium].

PubMed

Sun, Jiang; Su, Hong-xin; Wang, Yan-bang; Guo, Qing-lin; Zuo, Zhan-chun; Fu, Pan-ming

2008-06-01

The autoionization state of barium was observed by optics heterodyne between three-photon resonant nondegenerated six-wave mixing (NSWM) and two-photon resonant nondegenerated four-wave mixing (NFWM). In this way, optics heterodyne spectrum of 6p(3/2) 19d autoionization state of barium was measured. The suppression and enhancement of the NFWM signal was observed which was caused by the quantum interference between NFWM and NSWM. Our method is a pure nonlinear optic technique. It has the advantages of excellent spatial signal resolution and simple optical alignment. Here two-photon resonant NFWM is used as local oscillation, while three-photon resonant NSWM signal is used as signal beam. Detection of autoionization states of Ba was achieved by changing the frequency of signal beam. The phase matching condition of this technique is not so stringent and can be achieved over a very wide frequency range, which is very difficult in the general six-wave mixing. Furthermore, the signal is coherent light. Optics heterodyne spectrum is a Doppler-free spectroscopy when the incident lasers have narrow bandwidths.

Modeling and Optimization of Optical Half Adder in Two Dimensional Photonic Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonth, Mahesh V.; Soma, Savita; Gowre, Sanjaykumar C.; Biradar, Nagashettappa

2018-05-01

The output of photonic integrated devices is enhanced using crystal waveguides and cavities but optimization of these devices is a topic of research. In this paper, optimization of the optical half adder in two-dimensional (2-D) linear photonic crystals using four symmetric T-shaped waveguides with 180° phase shift inputs is proposed. The input section of a T-waveguide acts as a beam splitter, and the output section acts as a power combiner. The constructive and destructive interference phenomenon will provide an output optical power. Output port Cout will receive in-phase power through the 180° phase shifter cavity designed near the junction. The optical half adder is modeled in a 2-D photonic crystal using the finite difference time domain method (FDTD). It consists of a cubic lattice with an array of 39 × 43 silicon rods of radius r 0.12 μm and 0.6 μm lattice constant a. The extinction ratio r e of 11.67 dB and 12.51 dB are achieved at output ports using the RSoft FullWAVE-6.1 software package.

50-GHz-spaced comb of high-dimensional frequency-bin entangled photons from an on-chip silicon nitride microresonator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Imany, Poolad; Jaramillo-Villegas, Jose A.; Odele, Ogaga D.

Quantum frequency combs from chip-scale integrated sources are promising candidates for scalable and robust quantum information processing (QIP). However, to use these quantum combs for frequency domain QIP, demonstration of entanglement in the frequency basis, showing that the entangled photons are in a coherent superposition of multiple frequency bins, is required. We present a verification of qubit and qutrit frequency-bin entanglement using an on-chip quantum frequency comb with 40 mode pairs, through a two-photon interference measurement that is based on electro-optic phase modulation. Our demonstrations provide an important contribution in establishing integrated optical microresonators as a source for high-dimensional frequency-binmore » encoded quantum computing, as well as dense quantum key distribution.« less

50-GHz-spaced comb of high-dimensional frequency-bin entangled photons from an on-chip silicon nitride microresonator

DOE PAGES

Imany, Poolad; Jaramillo-Villegas, Jose A.; Odele, Ogaga D.; ...

2018-01-18

Quantum frequency combs from chip-scale integrated sources are promising candidates for scalable and robust quantum information processing (QIP). However, to use these quantum combs for frequency domain QIP, demonstration of entanglement in the frequency basis, showing that the entangled photons are in a coherent superposition of multiple frequency bins, is required. We present a verification of qubit and qutrit frequency-bin entanglement using an on-chip quantum frequency comb with 40 mode pairs, through a two-photon interference measurement that is based on electro-optic phase modulation. Our demonstrations provide an important contribution in establishing integrated optical microresonators as a source for high-dimensional frequency-binmore » encoded quantum computing, as well as dense quantum key distribution.« less

Method for detection of dental caries and periodontal disease using optical imaging

DOEpatents

Nathel, H.; Kinney, J.H.; Otis, L.L.

1996-10-29

A method is disclosed for detecting the presence of active and inactive caries in teeth and diagnosing periodontal disease uses non-ionizing radiation with techniques for reducing interference from scattered light. A beam of non-ionizing radiation is divided into sample and reference beams. The region to be examined is illuminated by the sample beam, and reflected or transmitted radiation from the sample is recombined with the reference beam to form an interference pattern on a detector. The length of the reference beam path is adjustable, allowing the operator to select the reflected or transmitted sample photons that recombine with the reference photons. Thus radiation scattered by the dental or periodontal tissue can be prevented from obscuring the interference pattern. A series of interference patterns may be generated and interpreted to locate dental caries and periodontal tissue interfaces. 7 figs.

Nonlocal effects on the polarization state of a photon, induced by distant absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryff, Luis Carlos B.

1994-01-01

A variant of a Franson's two-photon correlation experiment is discussed, in which the linear polarization state of one of the photons depends on the path followed in the interferometer. It is shown that although the path difference is greater than the coherence length, the photon can be found in a polarization state represented by the superposition of the polarization states associated to the paths when there is coincident detection. Since the photons, produced via parametric down-conversion, are fairly well localized in space and time, the situation in which one of the photons is detected before the other can reach the interferometer raises an intriguing point: it seems that in some cases the second photon would have to be described by two wave packets simultaneously. Unlike previous experiments, in which nonlocal effects were induced by means of polarizers of phase shifters, in the proposed experiment nonlocal effects can be induced by means of variable absorbers.

A Photon Interference Detector with Continuous Display.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilmore, R. S.

1978-01-01

Describes an apparatus which attempts to give a direct visual impression of the random detection of individual photons coupled with the recognition of the classical intensity distribution as a result of fairly high proton statistics. (Author/GA)

Higher-Order Interference in Extensions of Quantum Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ciarán M.; Selby, John H.

2017-01-01

Quantum interference, manifest in the two slit experiment, lies at the heart of several quantum computational speed-ups and provides a striking example of a quantum phenomenon with no classical counterpart. An intriguing feature of quantum interference arises in a variant of the standard two slit experiment, in which there are three, rather than two, slits. The interference pattern in this set-up can be written in terms of the two and one slit patterns obtained by blocking one, or more, of the slits. This is in stark contrast with the standard two slit experiment, where the interference pattern cannot be written as a sum of the one slit patterns. This was first noted by Rafael Sorkin, who raised the question of why quantum theory only exhibits irreducible interference in the two slit experiment. One approach to this problem is to compare the predictions of quantum theory to those of operationally-defined `foil' theories, in the hope of determining whether theories that do exhibit higher-order interference suffer from pathological—or at least undesirable—features. In this paper two proposed extensions of quantum theory are considered: the theory of Density Cubes proposed by Dakić, Paterek and Brukner, which has been shown to exhibit irreducible interference in the three slit set-up, and the Quartic Quantum Theory of Życzkowski. The theory of Density Cubes will be shown to provide an advantage over quantum theory in a certain computational task and to posses a well-defined mechanism which leads to the emergence of quantum theory—analogous to the emergence of classical physics from quantum theory via decoherence. Despite this, the axioms used to define Density Cubes will be shown to be insufficient to uniquely characterise the theory. In comparison, Quartic Quantum Theory is a well-defined theory and we demonstrate that it exhibits irreducible interference to all orders. This feature of Życzkowski's theory is argued not to be a genuine phenomenon, but to arise from an ambiguity in the current definition of higher-order interference in operationally-defined theories. Thus, to begin to understand why quantum theory is limited to a certain kind of interference, a new definition of higher-order interference is needed that is applicable to, and makes good operational sense in, arbitrary operationally-defined theories.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waitz, M.; Metz, D.; Lower, J.

Here, wWe investigate the photodouble ionization of H 2 molecules with 400 eV photons. We find that the emitted electrons do not show any sign of two-center interference fringes in their angular emission distributions if considered separately. Conversely, the quasiparticle consisting of both electrons (i.e., the "dielectron") does. The work highlights the fact that nonlocal effects are embedded everywhere in nature where many-particle processes are involved.

Integration of micro-/nano-/quantum-scale photonic devices: scientific and technological considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, El-Hang; Lee, Seung-Gol; O, Beom Hoan; Park, Se Geun

2004-08-01

Scientific and technological issues and considerations regarding the integration of miniaturized microphotonic devices, circuits and systems in micron, submicron, and quantum scale, are presented. First, we examine the issues regarding the miniaturization of photonic devices including the size effect, proximity effect, energy confinement effect, microcavity effect, optical and quantum interference effect, high field effect, nonlinear effect, noise effect, quantum optical effect, and chaotic effect. Secondly, we examine the issues regarding the interconnection including the optical alignment, minimizing the interconnection losses, and maintaining optical modes. Thirdly, we address the issues regarding the two-dimensional or three-dimensional integration either in a hybrid format or in a monolithic format between active devices and passive devices of varying functions. We find that the concept of optical printed circuit board (O-PCB) that we propose is highly attractive as a platform for micro/nano/quantum-scale photonic integration. We examine the technological issues to be addressed in the process of fabrication, characterization, and packaging for actual implementation of the miniaturization, interconnection and integration. Devices that we have used for our study include: mode conversion schemes, micro-ring and micro-racetrack resonator devices, multimode interference devices, lasers, vertical cavity surface emitting microlasers, and their arrays. Future prospects are also discussed.

Braiding light quanta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iadecola, Thomas; Schuster, Thomas; Chamon, Claudio

The possibility that anyons -- quantum particles other than fermions or bosons -- can emerge in condensed matter systems has motivated generations of physicists. In addition to being of fundamental scientific importance, so-called non-Abelian anyons are particularly sought-after for potential applications to quantum computing. However, experimental evidence of anyons in electronic systems remains inconclusive. We propose to demonstrate non-Abelian braiding by injecting coherent states of light into ``topological guided modes'' in specially-fabricated photonic waveguide arrays. These modes are photonic analogues of topological zero modes in electronic systems. Light traveling inside spatially well-separated topological guided modes can be braided, leading to the accumulation of non-Abelian phases. We propose an optical interference experiment to probe this non-Abelian braiding directly. T.I. is supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1247312.

Ibogaine interferes with motivational and somatic effects of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal from acutely administered morphine.

PubMed

Parke, Linda A; Burton, Page; McDonald, Robert V; Kim, Joseph A; Siegel, Shepard

2002-02-01

It has been reported that ibogaine interferes with somatic withdrawal reactions in rats chronically treated with morphine. The present experiments demonstrated that ibogaine also interferes with motivational withdrawal reactions and somatic withdrawal reactions in rats treated with morphine on only two occasions. On each of two conditioning trials, naloxone was administered 24 h following an injection of morphine. Four hours prior to each naloxone administration, rats were injected with either ibogaine or saline. In two experiments, ibogaine interfered with naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. In Experiment 1, ibogaine-treated rats displayed a weaker aversion to the withdrawal-paired chamber, and in Experiment 2, ibogaine-treated rats displayed fewer somatic withdrawal reactions than did saline treated rats.

Integrable models of quantum optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yudson, Vladimir; Makarov, Aleksander

2017-10-01

We give an overview of exactly solvable many-body models of quantum optics. Among them is a system of two-level atoms which interact with photons propagating in a one-dimensional (1D) chiral waveguide; exact eigenstates of this system can be explicitly constructed. This approach is used also for a system of closely located atoms in the usual (non-chiral) waveguide or in 3D space. Moreover, it is shown that for an arbitrary atomic system with a cascade spontaneous radiative decay, the fluorescence spectrum can be described by an exact analytic expression which accounts for interference of emitted photons. Open questions related with broken integrability are discussed.

Entanglement indicators for quantum optical fields: three-mode multiport beamsplitters EPR interference experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Junghee; Marciniak, Marcin; Wieśniak, Marcin; Żukowski, Marek

2018-04-01

We generalize a new approach to entanglement conditions for light of undefined photons numbers given in Żukowski et al (2017 Phys. Rev. A 95 042113) for polarization correlations to a broader family of interferometric phenomena. Integrated optics allows one to perform experiments based upon multiport beamsplitters. To observe entanglement effects one can use multi-mode parametric down-conversion emissions. When the structure of the Hamiltonian governing the emissions has (infinitely) many equivalent Schmidt decompositions into modes (beams), one can have perfect EPR-like correlations of numbers of photons emitted into ‘conjugate modes’ which can be monitored at spatially separated detection stations. We provide entanglement conditions for experiments involving three modes on each side, and three-input-three-output multiport beamsplitters, and show their violations by bright squeezed vacuum states. We show that a condition expressed in terms of averages of observed rates is a much better entanglement indicator than a related one for the usual intensity variables. Thus, the rates seem to emerge as a powerful concept in quantum optics, especially for fields of undefined intensities.

What is behind small deviations of quantum mechanics theory from experiments? Observer's mathematics point of view

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khots, Boris, E-mail: bkhots@cccglobal.com; Khots, Dmitriy, E-mail: dkhots@imathconsulting.com

2014-12-10

Certain results that have been predicted by Quantum Mechanics (QM) theory are not always supported by experiments. This defines a deep crisis in contemporary physics and, in particular, quantum mechanics. We believe that, in fact, the mathematical apparatus employed within today's physics is a possible reason. In particular, we consider the concept of infinity that exists in today's mathematics as the root cause of this problem. We have created Observer's Mathematics that offers an alternative to contemporary mathematics. This paper is an attempt to relay how Observer's Mathematics may explain some of the contradictions in QM theory results. We considermore » the Hamiltonian Mechanics, Newton equation, Schrodinger equation, two slit interference, wave-particle duality for single photons, uncertainty principle, Dirac equations for free electron in a setting of arithmetic, algebra, and topology provided by Observer's Mathematics (see www.mathrelativity.com). Certain results and communications pertaining to solution of these problems are provided.« less

Nonequilibrium Quantum Simulation in Circuit QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raftery, James John

Superconducting circuits have become a leading architecture for quantum computing and quantum simulation. In particular, the circuit QED framework leverages high coherence qubits and microwave resonators to construct systems realizing quantum optics models with exquisite precision. For example, the Jaynes-Cummings model has been the focus of significant theoretical interest as a means of generating photon-photon interactions. Lattices of such strongly correlated photons are an exciting new test bed for exploring non-equilibrium condensed matter physics such as dissipative phase transitions of light. This thesis covers a series of experiments which establish circuit QED as a powerful tool for exploring condensed matter physics with photons. The first experiment explores the use of ultra high speed arbitrary waveform generators for the direct digital synthesis of complex microwave waveforms. This new technique dramatically simplifies the classical control chain for quantum experiments and enables high bandwidth driving schemes expected to be essential for generating interesting steady-states and dynamical behavior. The last two experiments explore the rich physics of interacting photons, with an emphasis on small systems where a high degree of control is possible. The first experiment realizes a two-site system called the Jaynes-Cummings dimer, which undergoes a self-trapping transition where the strong photon-photon interactions block photon hopping between sites. The observation of this dynamical phase transition and the related dissipation-induced transition are key results of this thesis. The final experiment augments the Jaynes-Cummings dimer by redesigning the circuit to include in-situ control over photon hopping between sites using a tunable coupler. This enables the study of the dimer's localization transition in the steady-state regime.

Nonlocal quantum macroscopic superposition in a high-thermal low-purity state

PubMed Central

Brezinski, Mark E.; Liu, Bin

2013-01-01

Quantum state exchange between light and matter is an important ingredient for future quantum information networks as well as other applications. Photons are the fastest and simplest carriers of information for transmission but in general, it is difficult to localize and store photons, so usually one prefers choosing matter as quantum memory elements. Macroscopic superposition and nonlocal quantum interactions have received considerable interest for this purpose over recent years in fields ranging from quantum computers to cryptography, in addition to providing major insights into physical laws. However, these experiments are generally performed either with equipment or under conditions that are unrealistic for practical applications. Ideally, the two can be combined using conventional equipment and conditions to generate a “quantum teleportation”-like state, particularly with a very small amount of purity existing in an overall highly mixed thermal state (relatively low decoherence at high temperatures). In this study we used an experimental design to demonstrate these principles. We performed optical coherence tomography (OCT) using a thermal source at room temperatures of a specifically designed target in the sample arm. Here, position uncertainty (i.e., dispersion) was induced in the reference arm. In the sample arm (target) we placed two glass plates separated by a different medium while altering position uncertainty in the reference arm. This resulted in a chirped signal between the glass plate reflective surfaces in the combined interferogram. The chirping frequency, as measured by the fast Fourier transform (FFT), varies with the medium between the plates, which is a nonclassical phenomenon. These results are statistically significant and occur from a superposition between the glass surface and the medium with increasing position uncertainty, a true quantum-mechanical phenomenon produced by photon pressure from two-photon interference. The differences in chirping frequency with medium disappears when second-order correlations are removed by dual balanced detection, confirming the proposed mechanism. We demonstrated that increasing position uncertainty at one site leads to position uncertainty (quantum position probability amplitude) nonlocally via second-order correlations (two-photon probability amplitude) from a low coherence thermal source (low purity, high local entropy). The implications, first, are that the phenomenon cannot be explained through classical mechanisms but can be explained within the context of quantum mechanics, particularly relevant to the second-order correlations where controversy exists. More specifically, we provide the theoretical framework that these results indicate a nonlocal macroscopic superposition is occurring through a two-photon probability amplitude-induced increase in the target position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, as the experiments were performed with a classical source at room temperature, it supports both the quantum-mechanical properties of second-order correlations and that macroscopic superposition is obtainable in a target not in a single coherent state (mixed state). Future work will focus on generalizing the observations outside the current experimental design and creating embodiments that allow practical application of the phenomenon. PMID:24204102

Nonlocal quantum macroscopic superposition in a high-thermal low-purity state.

PubMed

Brezinski, Mark E; Liu, Bin

2008-12-16

Quantum state exchange between light and matter is an important ingredient for future quantum information networks as well as other applications. Photons are the fastest and simplest carriers of information for transmission but in general, it is difficult to localize and store photons, so usually one prefers choosing matter as quantum memory elements. Macroscopic superposition and nonlocal quantum interactions have received considerable interest for this purpose over recent years in fields ranging from quantum computers to cryptography, in addition to providing major insights into physical laws. However, these experiments are generally performed either with equipment or under conditions that are unrealistic for practical applications. Ideally, the two can be combined using conventional equipment and conditions to generate a "quantum teleportation"-like state, particularly with a very small amount of purity existing in an overall highly mixed thermal state (relatively low decoherence at high temperatures). In this study we used an experimental design to demonstrate these principles. We performed optical coherence tomography (OCT) using a thermal source at room temperatures of a specifically designed target in the sample arm. Here, position uncertainty (i.e., dispersion) was induced in the reference arm. In the sample arm (target) we placed two glass plates separated by a different medium while altering position uncertainty in the reference arm. This resulted in a chirped signal between the glass plate reflective surfaces in the combined interferogram. The chirping frequency, as measured by the fast Fourier transform (FFT), varies with the medium between the plates, which is a nonclassical phenomenon. These results are statistically significant and occur from a superposition between the glass surface and the medium with increasing position uncertainty, a true quantum-mechanical phenomenon produced by photon pressure from two-photon interference. The differences in chirping frequency with medium disappears when second-order correlations are removed by dual balanced detection, confirming the proposed mechanism. We demonstrated that increasing position uncertainty at one site leads to position uncertainty (quantum position probability amplitude) nonlocally via second-order correlations (two-photon probability amplitude) from a low coherence thermal source (low purity, high local entropy). The implications, first, are that the phenomenon cannot be explained through classical mechanisms but can be explained within the context of quantum mechanics, particularly relevant to the second-order correlations where controversy exists. More specifically, we provide the theoretical framework that these results indicate a nonlocal macroscopic superposition is occurring through a two-photon probability amplitude-induced increase in the target position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, as the experiments were performed with a classical source at room temperature, it supports both the quantum-mechanical properties of second-order correlations and that macroscopic superposition is obtainable in a target not in a single coherent state (mixed state). Future work will focus on generalizing the observations outside the current experimental design and creating embodiments that allow practical application of the phenomenon.

Studies of Interactions Between Nano-Objects and Polarized Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Dan

Optical studies of nano-objects that have dimensions 10--1000 nm have become a flourishing field of research. This special dimension category, connecting the smaller (molecular) world and the larger (cellular) world, have enabled these nano-objects to be widely utilized as novel optical tools in many fields. In addition to the extensive applications of nano objects, increasing efforts are also being put to better understand their interactions with light at a fundamental level. The work presented in this dissertation is part of such efforts, in which I selected three types of nano-objects and studied their optical properties both in theory and experiment. Second-harmonic and sum-frequency generations are among the most well-known nonlinear optical processes. Dielectric nanocrystals that are SHG- and SFG-active are favored tools in bioimaging. For a nanocrystal, its SHG/SFG intensity depends on the geometry of the light-particle system, i.e., the relationship between the nanocrystal orientation and the laser polarization. Using BaTiO 3 nanocrystals as an example, I carried out an in-depth, theoretical investigation of such dependence. Particularly, I studied the possibility of selectively maximizing the contrast between light signals from two or more nanocrystals by manipulating laser polarization. I will present a discussion on how the capacity of this selective illumination depends on the relative orientation between the two nanocrystals and the polarization of the excitation field. The optical responses of non-spherical plasmonic particles, being dynamic and complex, are only partially understood. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are one of the most popular members in this nanoparticle family. They can produce two-photon luminescence (TPL) and amplify molecular events occurring at their surface. Both phenomena are known to be associated with surface plasmon resonances (SPR) of AuNRs, but details of the mechanisms are yet to be understood and quantified. I constructed a two-photon laser-scanning microscopy system to study these phenomena at the single-particle level. In the experiment, I measured the polarization-dependent TPL emissions from single nanorods that are triggered by time-resolved two-photon excitations. The observation indicates that, different from what was generally believed, the TPL in AuNRs is resulted from two sequentially one-photon absorption process that are both coupled to the longitudinal SPR mode. The studies on the two-photon fluorescence in dyes conjugated with AuNRs confirmed the coherent nature of the two-photon absorption process and provided an estimate of the fluorescence enhancement due to the presence of AuNRs. Molecules with cross-conjugated structures have a special role in molecular electronics. Their inherent quantum interference property can be utilized to create molecular switches with excellent on/off ratio. When a molecular junction is exposed to light, photons may open extra pathways for electron tunneling, and thus modify the conduction properties of the junction. Such modification depends on the electronic structure of the molecule, as well as on the frequency, amplitude, and polarization of the driving field. In collaboration with my colleague, I simulated electron tunneling properties of junctions with cross-conjugated molecules and discussed their dependence on light properties. It is noteworthy that symmetry plays a major role in zero-bias tunneling: the molecule-field systems with general parity show distinct tunneling behaviors from their counterparts without general parity.

First Measurement of the Beam Normal Single Spin Asymmetry in $Δ$ Resonance Production by $$Q_{\\rm weak}$$

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nuruzzaman, nfn

The beam normal single spin asymmetry (more » $$B_{\\rm n}$$) is generated in the scattering of transversely polarized electrons from unpolarized nuclei. The asymmetry arises from the interference of the imaginary part of the two-photon exchange with the one-photon exchange amplitude. The $$Q_{\\rm weak}$$ experiment has made the first measurement of $$B_{\\rm n}$$ in the production of the $$\\Delta$$(1232) resonance, using the $$Q_{\\rm weak}$$ apparatus in Hall-C at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The final transverse asymmetry, corrected for backgrounds and beam polarization, is $$B_{\\rm n}$$ = 43 $$\\pm$$ 16 ppm at beam energy 1.16 GeV at an average scattering angle of about 8.3 degrees, and invariant mass of 1.2 GeV. The measured preliminary $$B_{\\rm n}$$ agrees with a preliminary theoretical calculation. $$B_{\\rm n}$$ for the $$\\Delta$$ is the only known observable that is sensitive to the $$\\Delta$$ elastic form-factors ($$\\gamma$$*$$\\Delta\\Delta$$) in addition to the generally studied transition form-factors ($$\\gamma$$*N$$\\Delta$$), but extracting this information will require significant theoretical input.« less

Experimental demonstration of interferometric imaging using photonic integrated circuits.

PubMed

Su, Tiehui; Scott, Ryan P; Ogden, Chad; Thurman, Samuel T; Kendrick, Richard L; Duncan, Alan; Yu, Runxiang; Yoo, S J B

2017-05-29

This paper reports design, fabrication, and demonstration of a silica photonic integrated circuit (PIC) capable of conducting interferometric imaging with multiple baselines around λ = 1550 nm. The PIC consists of four sets of five waveguides (total of twenty waveguides), each leading to a three-band spectrometer (total of sixty waveguides), after which a tunable Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) constructs interferograms from each pair of the waveguides. A total of thirty sets of interferograms (ten pairs of three spectral bands) is collected by the detector array at the output of the PIC. The optical path difference (OPD) of each interferometer baseline is kept to within 1 µm to maximize the visibility of the interference measurement. We constructed an experiment to utilize the two baselines for complex visibility measurement on a point source and a variable width slit. We used the point source to demonstrate near unity value of the PIC instrumental visibility, and used the variable slit to demonstrate visibility measurement for a simple extended object. The experimental result demonstrates the visibility of baseline 5 and 20 mm for a slit width of 0 to 500 µm in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Efficient generation of twin photons at telecom wavelengths with 2.5 GHz repetition-rate-tunable comb laser.

PubMed

Jin, Rui-Bo; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Morohashi, Isao; Wakui, Kentaro; Takeoka, Masahiro; Izumi, Shuro; Sakamoto, Takahide; Fujiwara, Mikio; Yamashita, Taro; Miki, Shigehito; Terai, Hirotaka; Wang, Zhen; Sasaki, Masahide

2014-12-19

Efficient generation and detection of indistinguishable twin photons are at the core of quantum information and communications technology (Q-ICT). These photons are conventionally generated by spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), which is a probabilistic process, and hence occurs at a limited rate, which restricts wider applications of Q-ICT. To increase the rate, one had to excite SPDC by higher pump power, while it inevitably produced more unwanted multi-photon components, harmfully degrading quantum interference visibility. Here we solve this problem by using recently developed 10 GHz repetition-rate-tunable comb laser, combined with a group-velocity-matched nonlinear crystal, and superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. They operate at telecom wavelengths more efficiently with less noises than conventional schemes, those typically operate at visible and near infrared wavelengths generated by a 76 MHz Ti Sapphire laser and detected by Si detectors. We could show high interference visibilities, which are free from the pump-power induced degradation. Our laser, nonlinear crystal, and detectors constitute a powerful tool box, which will pave a way to implementing quantum photonics circuits with variety of good and low-cost telecom components, and will eventually realize scalable Q-ICT in optical infra-structures.

Direct Imaging of Transient Fano Resonances in N_{2} Using Time-, Energy-, and Angular-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Eckstein, Martin; Yang, Chung-Hsin; Frassetto, Fabio; Poletto, Luca; Sansone, Giuseppe; Vrakking, Marc J J; Kornilov, Oleg

2016-04-22

Autoionizing Rydberg states of molecular N_{2} are studied using time-, energy-, and angular-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. A femtosecond extreme ultraviolet pulse with a photon energy of 17.5 eV excites the resonance and a subsequent IR pulse ionizes the molecule before the autoionization takes place. The angular-resolved photoelectron spectra depend on pump-probe time delay and allow for the distinguishing of two electronic states contributing to the resonance. The lifetime of one of the contributions is determined to be 14±1  fs, while the lifetime of the other appears to be significantly shorter than the time resolution of the experiment. These observations suggest that the Rydberg states in this energy region are influenced by the effect of interference stabilization and merge into a complex resonance.

Studies of GPDs at Jefferson Lab: results and future experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biselli, Angela

Here, the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) have emerged as a universal tool to describe hadrons in terms of their elementary constituents, the quarks and the gluons. Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) on a proton or neutron (N), eN → e'N'γ, is one of the simplest processes that can be described in terms of GPDs. The amplitudes of DVCS and Bethe-Heitler, process where a photon is emitted by the incident or scattered electron, can be accessed via cross section measurements or exploiting their interference which give rise to spin asymmetries. Spin asymmetries, cross sections and cross-section differences can be connected to different combinations of the four leading order GPDs (H, E,more » $$\\tilde{H} $$, $$\\tilde{E} $$) for the two quark flavors depending on the observable and the type of target.« less

Studies of GPDs at Jefferson Lab: results and future experiments

DOE PAGES

Biselli, Angela

2018-01-05

Here, the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) have emerged as a universal tool to describe hadrons in terms of their elementary constituents, the quarks and the gluons. Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) on a proton or neutron (N), eN → e'N'γ, is one of the simplest processes that can be described in terms of GPDs. The amplitudes of DVCS and Bethe-Heitler, process where a photon is emitted by the incident or scattered electron, can be accessed via cross section measurements or exploiting their interference which give rise to spin asymmetries. Spin asymmetries, cross sections and cross-section differences can be connected to different combinations of the four leading order GPDs (H, E,more » $$\\tilde{H} $$, $$\\tilde{E} $$) for the two quark flavors depending on the observable and the type of target.« less

Rayleigh scattering in an emitter-nanofiber-coupling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Shui-Jing; Gao, Fei; Xu, Da; Li, Yan; Gong, Qihuang; Xiao, Yun-Feng

2017-04-01

Scattering is a general process in both fundamental and applied physics. In this paper, we investigate Rayleigh scattering of a solid-state-emitter coupled to a nanofiber, by S -matrix-like theory in k -space description. Under this model, both Rayleigh scattering and dipole interaction are studied between a two-level artificial atom embedded in a nanocrystal and fiber modes (guided and radiation modes). It is found that Rayleigh scattering plays a critical role in the transport properties and quantum statistics of photons. On the one hand, Rayleigh scattering produces the transparency in the optical transmitted field of the nanofiber, accompanied by the change of atomic phase, population, and frequency shift. On the other hand, the interference between two kinds of scattering fields by Rayleigh scattering and dipole transition modifies the photon statistics (second-order autocorrelation function) of output fields, showing a strong wavelength dependence. This study provides guidance for the solid-state emitter acting as a single-photon source and can be extended to explore the scattering effect in many-body physics.

Controlling quantum interference in phase space with amplitude.

PubMed

Xue, Yinghong; Li, Tingyu; Kasai, Katsuyuki; Okada-Shudo, Yoshiko; Watanabe, Masayoshi; Zhang, Yun

2017-05-23

We experimentally show a quantum interference in phase space by interrogating photon number probabilities (n = 2, 3, and 4) of a displaced squeezed state, which is generated by an optical parametric amplifier and whose displacement is controlled by amplitude of injected coherent light. It is found that the probabilities exhibit oscillations of interference effect depending upon the amplitude of the controlling light field. This phenomenon is attributed to quantum interference in phase space and indicates the capability of controlling quantum interference using amplitude. This remarkably contrasts with the oscillations of interference effects being usually controlled by relative phase in classical optics.

Attosecond control of orbital parity mix interferences and the relative phase of even and odd harmonics in an attosecond pulse train.

PubMed

Laurent, G; Cao, W; Li, H; Wang, Z; Ben-Itzhak, I; Cocke, C L

2012-08-24

We experimentally demonstrate that atomic orbital parity mix interferences can be temporally controlled on an attosecond time scale. Electron wave packets are formed by ionizing argon gas with a comb of odd and even high-order harmonics, in the presence of a weak infrared field. Consequently, a mix of energy-degenerate even and odd parity states is fed in the continuum by one- and two-photon transitions. These interfere, leading to an asymmetric electron emission along the polarization vector. The direction of the emission can be controlled by varying the time delay between the comb and infrared field pulses. We show that such asymmetric emission provides information on the relative phase of consecutive odd and even order harmonics in the attosecond pulse train.

Dual-optical-response photonic crystal fibre interferometer for multi-parameter sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villatoro, Joel; Minkovich, Vladimir P.; Zubia, Joseba

2014-05-01

An all-fiber mode interferometer consisting of a short segment of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) fusion spliced to standard single mode optical fiber and pressed on localized regions is proposed for multi-parameter sensing. In our configuration, the physical parameter being sensed changes the fringe contrast (or visibility) of the interference pattern and also causes a shift to the same. To achieve this dual effect the device is pressed on localized regions over a few millimeters. In this manner we introduce losses and effective refractive index changes to the interference modes, hence visibility and shift to the interference pattern. Our interferometer is suitable for monitoring diverse physical parameters such as weight, force, pressure, load, etc. The advantage is that no temperature or power fluctuations compensation is required.

Two-Photon Excitation Microscopy for the Study of Living Cells and Tissues

PubMed Central

Benninger, Richard K.P.; Piston, David W.

2013-01-01

Two-photon excitation microscopy is an alternative to confocal microscopy that provides advantages for three-dimensional and deep tissue imaging. This unit will describe the basic physical principles behind two-photon excitation and discuss the advantages and limitations of its use in laser-scanning microscopy. The principal advantages of two-photon microscopy are reduced phototoxicity, increased imaging depth, and the ability to initiate highly localized photochemistry in thick samples. Practical considerations for the application of two-photon microscopy will then be discussed, including recent technological advances. This unit will conclude with some recent applications of two-photon microscopy that highlight the key advantages over confocal microscopy and the types of experiments which would benefit most from its application. PMID:23728746

Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system.

PubMed

Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

2016-01-11

We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing.

Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system

PubMed Central

Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

2016-01-01

We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing. PMID:26750557

Sharpness of interference pattern of the 3-pole wiggler

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dejus, Roger J., E-mail: dejus@aps.anl.gov; Kim, Kwang-Je

2016-07-27

Due to the small emittance, radiation from neighboring poles of a strong wiggler in future multi-bend achromat-based storage rings can exhibit sharp interference patterns. The spectral-angular distributions of the 3-pole wiggler for the proposed Advanced Photon Source (APS) upgrade were computed and prominent interference patterns were found. In this paper we provide an understanding of such interference patterns. The equations governing the interference pattern are described and computed spectral-angular distributions of a modeled 3-pole wiggler magnetic field using these equations are presented.

Sharpness of Interference Pattern of the 3-Pole Wiggler

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dejus, Roger J.; Kim, Kwang-Je

2016-07-02

Due to the small emittance, radiation from neighboring poles of a strong wiggler in future multi-bend achromat-based storage rings can exhibit sharp interference patterns. The spectral-angular distributions of the 3-pole wiggler for the proposed Advanced Photon Source (APS) upgrade were computed and prominent interference patterns were found. In this paper we provide an understanding of such interference patterns. The equations governing the interference pattern are described and computed spectral-angular distributions of a modeled 3-pole wiggler magnetic field using these equations are presented.

Coherent and dynamic beam splitting based on light storage in cold atoms

PubMed Central

Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Zhao, Tian-Ming; Lee, Jong-Chan; Chough, Young-Tak; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2016-01-01

We demonstrate a coherent and dynamic beam splitter based on light storage in cold atoms. An input weak laser pulse is first stored in a cold atom ensemble via electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT). A set of counter-propagating control fields, applied at a later time, retrieves the stored pulse into two output spatial modes. The high visibility interference between the two output pulses clearly demonstrates that the beam splitting process is coherent. Furthermore, by manipulating the control lasers, it is possible to dynamically control the storage time, the power splitting ratio, the relative phase, and the optical frequencies of the output pulses. With further improvements, the active beam splitter demonstrated in this work might have applications in photonic photonic quantum information and in all-optical information processing. PMID:27677457

Temporal focusing microscopy combined with three-dimensional structured illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isobe, Keisuke; Toda, Keisuke; Song, Qiyuan; Kannari, Fumihiko; Kawano, Hiroyuki; Miyawaki, Atsushi; Midorikawa, Katsumi

2017-05-01

Temporal focusing microscopy provides the optical sectioning capability in wide-field two-photon fluorescence imaging. Here, we demonstrate temporal focusing microscopy combined with three-dimensional structured illumination, which enables us to enhance the three-dimensional spatial resolution and reject the background fluorescence. Experimentally, the periodic pattern of the illumination was produced not only in the lateral direction but also in the axial direction by the interference between three temporal focusing pulses, which were easily generated using a digital micromirror device. The lateral resolution and optical sectioning capability were successfully enhanced by factors of 1.6 and 3.6, respectively, compared with those of temporal focusing microscopy. In the two-photon fluorescence imaging of a tissue-like phantom, the out-of-focus background fluorescence and the scattered background fluorescence could also be rejected.

What dynamics can be expected for mixed states in two-slit experiments?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luis, Alfredo; Sanz, Ángel S., E-mail: asanz@iff.csic.es

2015-06-15

Weak-measurement-based experiments (Kocsis et al., 2011) have shown that, at least for pure states, the average evolution of independent photons in Young’s two-slit experiment is in compliance with the trajectories prescribed by the Bohmian formulation of quantum mechanics. But, what happens if the same experiment is repeated assuming that the wave function associated with each particle is different, i.e., in the case of mixed (incoherent) states? This question is investigated here by means of two alternative numerical simulations of Young’s experiment, purposely devised to be easily implemented and tested in the laboratory. Contrary to what could be expected a priori, itmore » is found that even for conditions of maximal mixedness or incoherence (total lack of interference fringes), experimental data will render a puzzling and challenging outcome: the average particle trajectories will still display features analogous to those for pure states, i.e., independently of how mixedness arises, the associated dynamics is influenced by both slits at the same time. Physically this simply means that weak measurements are not able to discriminate how mixedness arises in the experiment, since they only provide information about the averaged system dynamics. - Highlights: • The dynamics associated with mixture states in investigated by means of two simple Young’s two-slit models. • The models are prepared to be easily implemented and tested in the laboratory by means of weak measurements. • Bohmian mechanics has been generalized to encompass statistical mixtures. • Even for conditions of maximal mixedness numerical simulations show that the dynamics is strongly influenced by both slits. • Accordingly, weak measurements are unable to discriminate how mixedness arises in an experiment.« less

Secure communications using quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hughes, R.J.; Buttler, W.T.; Kwiat, P.G.

1997-08-01

The secure distribution of the secret random bit sequences known as {open_quotes}key{close_quotes} material, is an essential precursor to their use for the encryption and decryption of confidential communications. Quantum cryptography is an emerging technology for secure key distribution with single-photon transmissions, nor evade detection (eavesdropping raises the key error rate above a threshold value). We have developed experimental quantum cryptography systems based on the transmission of non-orthogonal single-photon states to generate shared key material over multi-kilometer optical fiber paths and over line-of-sight links. In both cases, key material is built up using the transmission of a single-photon per bit ofmore » an initial secret random sequence. A quantum-mechanically random subset of this sequence is identified, becoming the key material after a data reconciliation stage with the sender. In our optical fiber experiment we have performed quantum key distribution over 24-km of underground optical fiber using single-photon interference states, demonstrating that secure, real-time key generation over {open_quotes}open{close_quotes} multi-km node-to-node optical fiber communications links is possible. We have also constructed a quantum key distribution system for free-space, line-of-sight transmission using single-photon polarization states, which is currently undergoing laboratory testing. 7 figs.« less

A highly conspicuous mineralized composite photonic architecture in the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet.

PubMed

Li, Ling; Kolle, Stefan; Weaver, James C; Ortiz, Christine; Aizenberg, Joanna; Kolle, Mathias

2015-02-26

Many species rely on diverse selections of entirely organic photonic structures for the manipulation of light and the display of striking colours. Here we report the discovery of a mineralized hierarchical photonic architecture embedded within the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet Patella pellucida. The bright colour of the limpet's stripes originates from light interference in a periodically layered zig-zag architecture of crystallographically co-oriented calcite lamellae. Beneath the photonic multilayer, a disordered array of light-absorbing particles provides contrast for the blue colour. This unique mineralized manifestation of a synergy of two distinct optical elements at specific locations within the continuum of the limpet's translucent protective shell ensures the vivid shine of the blue stripes, which can be perceived under water from a wide range of viewing angles. The stripes' reflection band coincides with the spectral range of minimal light absorption in sea water, raising intriguing questions regarding their functional significance.

A highly conspicuous mineralized composite photonic architecture in the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ling; Kolle, Stefan; Weaver, James C.; Ortiz, Christine; Aizenberg, Joanna; Kolle, Mathias

2015-02-01

Many species rely on diverse selections of entirely organic photonic structures for the manipulation of light and the display of striking colours. Here we report the discovery of a mineralized hierarchical photonic architecture embedded within the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet Patella pellucida. The bright colour of the limpet’s stripes originates from light interference in a periodically layered zig-zag architecture of crystallographically co-oriented calcite lamellae. Beneath the photonic multilayer, a disordered array of light-absorbing particles provides contrast for the blue colour. This unique mineralized manifestation of a synergy of two distinct optical elements at specific locations within the continuum of the limpet’s translucent protective shell ensures the vivid shine of the blue stripes, which can be perceived under water from a wide range of viewing angles. The stripes’ reflection band coincides with the spectral range of minimal light absorption in sea water, raising intriguing questions regarding their functional significance.

A highly conspicuous mineralized composite photonic architecture in the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet

DOE PAGES

Li, Ling; Kolle, Stefan; Weaver, James C.; ...

2015-02-26

Many species rely on diverse selections of entirely organic photonic structures for the manipulation of light and the display of striking colours. Here we report the discovery of a mineralized hierarchical photonic architecture embedded within the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet Patella pellucida. The bright colour of the limpet’s stripes originates from light interference in a periodically layered zig-zag architecture of crystallographically co-oriented calcite lamellae. Beneath the photonic multilayer, a disordered array of light-absorbing particles provides contrast for the blue colour. This unique mineralized manifestation of a synergy of two distinct optical elements at specific locations within the continuummore » of the limpet’s translucent protective shell ensures the vivid shine of the blue stripes, which can be perceived under water from a wide range of viewing angles. The stripes’ reflection band coincides with the spectral range of minimal light absorption in sea water, raising intriguing questions regarding their functional significance.« less

The locus of taboo context effects in picture naming.

PubMed

Hansen, Samuel J; McMahon, Katie L; Burt, Jennifer S; de Zubicaray, Greig I

2016-07-20

Speakers respond more slowly when naming pictures presented with taboo (i.e., offensive/embarrassing) than with neutral distractor words in the picture-word interference paradigm. Over four experiments, we attempted to localize the processing stage at which this effect occurs during word production and determine whether it reflects the socially offensive/embarrassing nature of the stimuli. Experiment 1 demonstrated taboo interference at early stimulus onset asynchronies of -150 ms and 0 ms although not at 150 ms. In Experiment 2, taboo distractors sharing initial phonemes with target picture names eliminated the interference effect. Using additive factors logic, Experiment 3 demonstrated that taboo interference and phonological facilitation effects do not interact, indicating that the two effects originate at different processing levels within the speech production system. In Experiment 4, interference was observed for masked taboo distractors, including those sharing initial phonemes with the target picture names, indicating that the effect cannot be attributed to a processing level involving responses in an output buffer. In two of the four experiments, the magnitude of the interference effect correlated significantly with arousal ratings of the taboo words. However, no significant correlations were found for either offensiveness or valence ratings. These findings are consistent with a locus for the taboo interference effect prior to the processing stage responsible for word form encoding. We propose a pre-lexical account in which taboo distractors capture attention at the expense of target picture processing due to their high arousal levels.

Integrated generation of complex optical quantum states and their coherent control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roztocki, Piotr; Kues, Michael; Reimer, Christian; Romero Cortés, Luis; Sciara, Stefania; Wetzel, Benjamin; Zhang, Yanbing; Cino, Alfonso; Chu, Sai T.; Little, Brent E.; Moss, David J.; Caspani, Lucia; Azaña, José; Morandotti, Roberto

2018-01-01

Complex optical quantum states based on entangled photons are essential for investigations of fundamental physics and are the heart of applications in quantum information science. Recently, integrated photonics has become a leading platform for the compact, cost-efficient, and stable generation and processing of optical quantum states. However, onchip sources are currently limited to basic two-dimensional (qubit) two-photon states, whereas scaling the state complexity requires access to states composed of several (<2) photons and/or exhibiting high photon dimensionality. Here we show that the use of integrated frequency combs (on-chip light sources with a broad spectrum of evenly-spaced frequency modes) based on high-Q nonlinear microring resonators can provide solutions for such scalable complex quantum state sources. In particular, by using spontaneous four-wave mixing within the resonators, we demonstrate the generation of bi- and multi-photon entangled qubit states over a broad comb of channels spanning the S, C, and L telecommunications bands, and control these states coherently to perform quantum interference measurements and state tomography. Furthermore, we demonstrate the on-chip generation of entangled high-dimensional (quDit) states, where the photons are created in a coherent superposition of multiple pure frequency modes. Specifically, we confirm the realization of a quantum system with at least one hundred dimensions. Moreover, using off-the-shelf telecommunications components, we introduce a platform for the coherent manipulation and control of frequencyentangled quDit states. Our results suggest that microcavity-based entangled photon state generation and the coherent control of states using accessible telecommunications infrastructure introduce a powerful and scalable platform for quantum information science.

Photon and a preferred frame scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rembieliński, Jakub; Ciborowski, Jacek

2018-06-01

Structure of the space of photonic states is discussed in the context of a working hypothesis of existence of a preferred frame for photons. Two polarization experiments are proposed to test the preferred frame scenario.

Time-bin entangled photon pairs from spontaneous parametric down-conversion pumped by a cw multi-mode diode laser.

PubMed

Kwon, Osung; Park, Kwang-Kyoon; Ra, Young-Sik; Kim, Yong-Su; Kim, Yoon-Ho

2013-10-21

Generation of time-bin entangled photon pairs requires the use of the Franson interferometer which consists of two spatially separated unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers through which the signal and idler photons from spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) are made to transmit individually. There have been two SPDC pumping regimes where the scheme works: the narrowband regime and the double-pulse regime. In the narrowband regime, the SPDC process is pumped by a narrowband cw laser with the coherence length much longer than the path length difference of the Franson interferometer. In the double-pulse regime, the longitudinal separation between the pulse pair is made equal to the path length difference of the Franson interferometer. In this paper, we propose another regime by which the generation of time-bin entanglement is possible and demonstrate the scheme experimentally. In our scheme, differently from the previous approaches, the SPDC process is pumped by a cw multi-mode (i.e., short coherence length) laser and makes use of the coherence revival property of such a laser. The high-visibility two-photon Franson interference demonstrates clearly that high-quality time-bin entanglement source can be developed using inexpensive cw multi-mode diode lasers for various quantum communication applications.

Photonic channels for quantum communication

PubMed

van Enk SJ; Cirac; Zoller

1998-01-09

A general photonic channel for quantum communication is defined. By means of local quantum computing with a few auxiliary atoms, this channel can be reduced to one with effectively less noise. A scheme based on quantum interference is proposed that iteratively improves the fidelity of distant entangled particles.

Multiphoton dynamics of qutrits in the ultrastrong coupling regime with a quantized photonic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Avetissian, H. K., E-mail: avetissian@ysu.am; Avetissian, A. K.; Mkrtchian, G. F.

2015-12-15

Multiphoton resonant excitation of a three-state quantum system (a qutrit) with a single-mode photonic field is considered in the ultrastrong coupling regime, when the qutrit–photonic field coupling rate is comparable to appreciable fractions of the photon frequency. For ultrastrong couplings, the obtained solutions of the Schrödinger equation that reveal multiphoton Rabi oscillations in qutrits with the interference effects leading to the collapse and revival of atomic excitation probabilities at the direct multiphoton resonant transitions.

Shear wave speed recovery using moving interference patterns obtained in sonoelastography experiments.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Joyce; Renzi, Daniel; Parker, Kevin; Wu, Zhe

2007-04-01

Two new experiments were created to characterize the elasticity of soft tissue using sonoelastography. In both experiments the spectral variance image displayed on a GE LOGIC 700 ultrasound machine shows a moving interference pattern that travels at a very small fraction of the shear wave speed. The goal of this paper is to devise and test algorithms to calculate the speed of the moving interference pattern using the arrival times of these same patterns. A geometric optics expansion is used to obtain Eikonal equations relating the moving interference pattern arrival times to the moving interference pattern speed and then to the shear wave speed. A cross-correlation procedure is employed to find the arrival times; and an inverse Eikonal solver called the level curve method computes the speed of the interference pattern. The algorithm is tested on data from a phantom experiment performed at the University of Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound.

A low threshold nanocavity in a two-dimensional 12-fold photonic quasicrystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Jie; Sun, XiaoHong; Wang, Shuai

2018-05-01

In this article, a low threshold nanocavity is built and investigated in a two-dimensional 12-fold holographic photonic quasicrystal (PQC). The cavity is formed by using the method of multi-beam common-path interference. By finely adjusting the structure parameters of the cavity, the Q factor and the mode volume are optimized, which are two keys to low-threshold on the basis of Purcell effect. Finally, an optimal cavity is obtained with Q value of 6023 and mode volume of 1.24 ×10-12cm3 . On the other hand, by Fourier Transformation of the electric field components in the cavity, the in-plane wave vectors are calculated and fitted to evaluate the cavity performance. The performance analysis of the cavity further proves the effectiveness of the optimization process. This has a guiding significance for the research of low threshold nano-laser.

Physics of crypto-nonlocality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navascués, Miguel

2014-02-01

In 2003, Leggett introduced his model of crypto-nonlocality based on considerations on the reality of photon polarization [A. J. Leggett, Found. Phys. 33, 1469 (2003), 10.1023/A:1026096313729]. In this paper, we prove that, contrary to hints in subsequent literature, crypto-nonlocality does not follow naturally from the postulate that polarization is a realistic variable. More explicitly, consider physical theories where (a) faster-than-light communication is impossible, (b) all physical photon states have a definite polarization, and (c) given two separate photons, if we measure one of them and post-select on the result, the measurement statistics of the remaining system correspond to a photon state. We show that the outcomes of any two-photon polarization experiment in these theories must follow the statistics generated by measuring a separable two-qubit quantum state. Consequently, in such experiments any instance of entanglement detection—and not necessarily a Leggett inequality violation—can be regarded as a refutation of this class of theories.

Imaging and tuning of coupled photonic crystal cavities (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurioli, Massimo

2016-04-01

Photonic microcavities (PMC) coupled through their evanescent field are used for a large variety of classical and quantum devices. In such systems, a molecular-like spatial delocalization of the coupled modes is achieved by an evanescent tunnelling. The tunnelling rate depends on the height and depth of the photonic barrier between two adjacent resonators and therefore it is sensitive to the fabrication-induced disorder present in the center of the molecule. In this contribution, we address the problem of developing a post fabrication control of the tunnelling rate in photonic crystal coupled PMCs. The value of the photonic coupling (proportional to the tunnelling rate) is directly measured by the molecular mode splitting at the anticrossing point. By exploiting a combination of tuning techniques such as local infiltration of water, micro-evaporation, and laser induced non thermal micro-oxidation, we are able to either increase or decrease the detuning and the photonic coupling, independently. Near field imaging is also used for mapping the modes and establish delocalization. By water micro-infiltration, we were able to increase the photon coupling by 28%. On the contrary, by laser induced non thermal oxidation, we got a reduction of g by 30%. The combination of the two methods would therefore give a complete control of g with excellent accuracy. This could make possible the realization of array of photonic cavities with on demand tunnelling rate between each pair of coupled resonators. We believe that this peculiar engineering of photonic crystal molecules would open the road to possible progress in the exploitation of coherent interference between coupled optical resonators both for quantum information processing and optical communication.

Semi-classical approach to compute RABBITT traces in multi-dimensional complex field distributions.

PubMed

Lucchini, M; Ludwig, A; Kasmi, L; Gallmann, L; Keller, U

2015-04-06

We present a semi-classical model to calculate RABBITT (Reconstruction of Attosecond Beating By Interference of Two-photon Transitions) traces in the presence of a reference infrared field with a complex two-dimensional (2D) spatial distribution. The evolution of the electron spectra as a function of the pump-probe delay is evaluated starting from the solution of the classical equation of motion and incorporating the quantum phase acquired by the electron during the interaction with the infrared field. The total response to an attosecond pulse train is then evaluated by a coherent sum of the contributions generated by each individual attosecond pulse in the train. The flexibility of this model makes it possible to calculate spectrograms from non-trivial 2D field distributions. After confirming the validity of the model in a simple 1D case, we extend the discussion to describe the probe-induced phase in photo-emission experiments on an ideal metallic surface.

Performance and capacity analysis of Poisson photon-counting based Iter-PIC OCDMA systems.

PubMed

Li, Lingbin; Zhou, Xiaolin; Zhang, Rong; Zhang, Dingchen; Hanzo, Lajos

2013-11-04

In this paper, an iterative parallel interference cancellation (Iter-PIC) technique is developed for optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) systems relying on shot-noise limited Poisson photon-counting reception. The novel semi-analytical tool of extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts is used for analysing both the bit error rate (BER) performance as well as the channel capacity of these systems and the results are verified by Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed Iter-PIC OCDMA system is capable of achieving two orders of magnitude BER improvements and a 0.1 nats of capacity improvement over the conventional chip-level OCDMA systems at a coding rate of 1/10.

EDITORIAL: Progress in quantum technology: one photon at a time Progress in quantum technology: one photon at a time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demming, Anna

2012-07-01

Technological developments sparked by quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality are still gaining ground over a hundred years after the theories were devised. While the impact of the theories in fundamental research, philosophy and even art and literature is widely appreciated, the implications in device innovations continue to breed potential. Applications inspired by these concepts include quantum computation and quantum cryptography protocols based on single photons, among many others. In this issue, researchers in Germany and the US report a step towards precisely triggered single-photon sources driven by surface acoustic waves (SAWs) [1]. The work brings technology based on quantum mechanics yet another step closer to practical device reality. Generation of single 'antibunched' photons has been one of the key challenges to progress in quantum information processing and communication. Researchers from Toshiba and Cambridge University in the UK recently reported what they described as 'the first electrically driven single-photon source capable of emitting indistinguishable photons' [2]. Single-photon sources have been reported previously [3]. However the approach demonstrated by Shields and colleagues allows electrical control, which is particularly useful for implementing in compact devices. The researchers used a layer of InAs quantum dots embedded in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n diode to demonstrate interference between single photons. They also present a complete theory based on the interference of photons with a Lorentzian spectrum, which they compare with both continuous-wave and pulsed experiments. The application of SAWs in achieving precisely triggered single-photon sources develops the work of researchers in Germany in the late 1990s [4]. Surface acoustic waves travel like sound waves, but are characterized by an amplitude that typically decays exponentially with depth into the substrate. As Rocke and colleagues demonstrated, they can be used to dissociate an optically excited exciton and spatially separate the electron and hole, thereby increasing the radiative lifetime by orders of magnitude. The interesting behaviour of SAWs has led to studies towards a number of other applications including sensing [5-7], synthesis and nanoassembly [8]. For applications in single-photon sources, the electron-hole pairs are transported by the SAW to a quantum dot where they recombine emitting a single photon. However, so far various limiting factors in the system, such as the low quality of the quantum dots used leading to multiple-exciton recombinations, have hindered potential applications of the system as a single-photon source. Control over high-quality quantum-dot self-assembly is constantly improving. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard University in the US report the ability to successfully position a small number of colloidal quantum dots to within less than 100 nm accuracy on metallic surfaces [9]. They use single-stranded DNA both to act as an anchor to the gold or silver substrates and to selectively bind to the quantum dots, allowing programmed assembly of quantum dots on plasmonic structures. More recently still, researchers in Germany have reported how they can controllably reduce the density of self-assembled InP quantum dots by cyclic deposition with growth interruptions [10]. The impressive control has great potential for quantum emitter use. In this issue, Völk, Krenner and colleagues use an alternative approach to demonstrate how they can improve the performance of single-photon sources using SAWs. They use an optimized system of isolated self-assembled quantum posts in a quantum-well structure and inject the carriers at a distance from the posts where recombination and emission take place [3]. The SAW dissociates the electron-hole pairs and transports them to the quantum posts, so the two carrier types arrive at the quantum post with a set time delay. Other approaches, such as Coulomb blockade ones, have struggled to achieve the sequential injection of the carriers

Retrospective Revaluation of Associative Retroactive Cue Interference

PubMed Central

Miguez, Gonzalo; Laborda, Mario A.; Miller, Ralph R.

2013-01-01

Two fear-conditioning experiments with rats assessed whether retrospective revaluation, which has been observed in cue competition (i.e., when compounded cues are followed with an outcome), can also be observed in retroactive cue interference (i.e., when different cues are reinforced in separate phases with the same outcome). Experiment 1 found that after inducing retroactive cue interference (i.e., X-outcome followed by A-outcome), nonreinforced presentations of the interfering cue (A) decreases interference with responding to the target cue (X), just as has been observed in retrospective revaluation experiments in cue competition. Using the opposite manipulation (i.e., adding reinforced presentations of A), Experiment 2 demonstrated that after inducing retroactive cue interference, additional reinforced presentations of the interfering cue (A) increases interference with responding to the target cue (X); alternatively stated, the amount of interference increases with the amount of training with the interfering cue. Thus, both types of retrospective revaluation occur in retroactive cue competition. The results are discussed in terms of the possibility that similar associative mechanisms underlie cue competition and cue interference. PMID:24142799

Quantum interference in laser spectroscopy of highly charged lithiumlike ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amaro, Pedro; Loureiro, Ulisses; Safari, Laleh; Fratini, Filippo; Indelicato, Paul; Stöhlker, Thomas; Santos, José Paulo

2018-02-01

We investigate the quantum interference induced shifts between energetically close states in highly charged ions, with the energy structure being observed by laser spectroscopy. In this work, we focus on hyperfine states of lithiumlike heavy-Z isotopes and quantify how much quantum interference changes the observed transition frequencies. The process of photon excitation and subsequent photon decay for the transition 2 s →2 p →2 s is implemented with fully relativistic and full-multipole frameworks, which are relevant for such relativistic atomic systems. We consider the isotopes 79+207Pb and 80+209Bi due to experimental interest, as well as other examples of isotopes with lower Z , namely 56+141Pr and 64+165Ho. We conclude that quantum interference can induce shifts up to 11% of the linewidth in the measurable resonances of the considered isotopes, if interference between resonances is neglected. The inclusion of relativity decreases the cross section by 35%, mainly due to the complete retardation form of the electric dipole multipole. However, the contribution of the next higher multipoles (e.g., magnetic quadrupole) to the cross section is negligible. This makes the contribution of relativity and higher-order multipoles to the quantum interference induced shifts a minor effect, even for heavy-Z elements.

Multiple scaled disorder in the photonic structure of Morpho rhetenor butterfly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulenguez, J.; Berthier, S.; Leroy, F.

2012-03-01

The iridescence of Morpho rhetenor butterfly is known to result from a photonic structure on wing scales, where multilayer interference and grating diffraction occur simultaneously. We characterize the disorder at the photonic structure length scale and at the butterfly scale. We measure the scattering pattern of the wing. Through RCWA and 1st Born approximation models, we link the different disorders to different features in the scattering patterns.

Efficient generation of twin photons at telecom wavelengths with 2.5 GHz repetition-rate-tunable comb laser

PubMed Central

Jin, Rui-Bo; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Morohashi, Isao; Wakui, Kentaro; Takeoka, Masahiro; Izumi, Shuro; Sakamoto, Takahide; Fujiwara, Mikio; Yamashita, Taro; Miki, Shigehito; Terai, Hirotaka; Wang, Zhen; Sasaki, Masahide

2014-01-01

Efficient generation and detection of indistinguishable twin photons are at the core of quantum information and communications technology (Q-ICT). These photons are conventionally generated by spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), which is a probabilistic process, and hence occurs at a limited rate, which restricts wider applications of Q-ICT. To increase the rate, one had to excite SPDC by higher pump power, while it inevitably produced more unwanted multi-photon components, harmfully degrading quantum interference visibility. Here we solve this problem by using recently developed 10 GHz repetition-rate-tunable comb laser, combined with a group-velocity-matched nonlinear crystal, and superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. They operate at telecom wavelengths more efficiently with less noises than conventional schemes, those typically operate at visible and near infrared wavelengths generated by a 76 MHz Ti Sapphire laser and detected by Si detectors. We could show high interference visibilities, which are free from the pump-power induced degradation. Our laser, nonlinear crystal, and detectors constitute a powerful tool box, which will pave a way to implementing quantum photonics circuits with variety of good and low-cost telecom components, and will eventually realize scalable Q-ICT in optical infra-structures. PMID:25524646

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Ling; Kolle, Stefan; Weaver, James C.

Many species rely on diverse selections of entirely organic photonic structures for the manipulation of light and the display of striking colours. Here we report the discovery of a mineralized hierarchical photonic architecture embedded within the translucent shell of the blue-rayed limpet Patella pellucida. The bright colour of the limpet’s stripes originates from light interference in a periodically layered zig-zag architecture of crystallographically co-oriented calcite lamellae. Beneath the photonic multilayer, a disordered array of light-absorbing particles provides contrast for the blue colour. This unique mineralized manifestation of a synergy of two distinct optical elements at specific locations within the continuummore » of the limpet’s translucent protective shell ensures the vivid shine of the blue stripes, which can be perceived under water from a wide range of viewing angles. The stripes’ reflection band coincides with the spectral range of minimal light absorption in sea water, raising intriguing questions regarding their functional significance.« less

Dual-Task Interference When A Response is Not Required

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanSelst, Mark; Johnston, James C.; Shafto, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

When subjects are required to respond to two stimuli presented in rapid succession, responses to the second stimulus are delayed. Such dual-task interference has been attributed to a fundamental processing bottleneck preventing simultaneous processing on both tasks. Two experiments show dual-task interference even when the first task does not require a response. The observed interference is caused by a bottleneck in central cognitive processing, rather than in response initiation or execution.

Counterfactual quantum erasure: spooky action without entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salih, Hatim

2018-02-01

We combine the eyebrow-raising quantum phenomena of erasure and counterfactuality for the first time, proposing a simple yet unusual quantum eraser: A distant Bob can decide to erase which-path information from Alice's photon, dramatically restoring interference-without previously shared entanglement, and without Alice's photon ever leaving her laboratory.

Compact tunable and reconfigurable microwave photonic filter for satellite payloads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, M. C.; Yoosefi, O.

2017-11-01

The trend towards the photonic processing of electrical signals at microwave frequencies for satellite payloads is increasing at a breathtaking pace, mainly spurred by prospects of wide electrical bandwidth operation, low mass and volume, reduced electrical noise levels, immunity to electromagnetic interferences and resistance to both temperature and radiation.

Counterfactual quantum erasure: spooky action without entanglement.

PubMed

Salih, Hatim

2018-02-01

We combine the eyebrow-raising quantum phenomena of erasure and counterfactuality for the first time, proposing a simple yet unusual quantum eraser: A distant Bob can decide to erase which-path information from Alice's photon, dramatically restoring interference-without previously shared entanglement, and without Alice's photon ever leaving her laboratory.

Two-photon probes for in vivo multicolor microscopy of the structure and signals of brain cells.

PubMed

Ricard, Clément; Arroyo, Erica D; He, Cynthia X; Portera-Cailliau, Carlos; Lepousez, Gabriel; Canepari, Marco; Fiole, Daniel

2018-05-11

Imaging the brain of living laboratory animals at a microscopic scale can be achieved by two-photon microscopy thanks to the high penetrability and low phototoxicity of the excitation wavelengths used. However, knowledge of the two-photon spectral properties of the myriad fluorescent probes is generally scarce and, for many, non-existent. In addition, the use of different measurement units in published reports further hinders the design of a comprehensive imaging experiment. In this review, we compile and homogenize the two-photon spectral properties of 280 fluorescent probes. We provide practical data, including the wavelengths for optimal two-photon excitation, the peak values of two-photon action cross section or molecular brightness, and the emission ranges. Beyond the spectroscopic description of these fluorophores, we discuss their binding to biological targets. This specificity allows in vivo imaging of cells, their processes, and even organelles and other subcellular structures in the brain. In addition to probes that monitor endogenous cell metabolism, studies of healthy and diseased brain benefit from the specific binding of certain probes to pathology-specific features, ranging from amyloid-β plaques to the autofluorescence of certain antibiotics. A special focus is placed on functional in vivo imaging using two-photon probes that sense specific ions or membrane potential, and that may be combined with optogenetic actuators. Being closely linked to their use, we examine the different routes of intravital delivery of these fluorescent probes according to the target. Finally, we discuss different approaches, strategies, and prerequisites for two-photon multicolor experiments in the brains of living laboratory animals.

Highly versatile in-reflection photonic crystal fibre interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jha, Rajan; Villatoro, Joel; Kreuzer, Mark; Finazzi, Vittoria; Pruneri, Valerio

2009-10-01

We report a simple and highly versatile photonic crystal fiber (PCF) interferometer that operates in reflection mode. The device consists of a short section of PCF fusion spliced at the distal end of a standard single mode fiber. The air-holes of the PCF are intentionally collapsed over a microscopic region around the splice. The collapsed region broadens the propagating mode because of diffraction. This allows the coupling and recombination of two PCF modes. Depending on the PCF structure two core modes or a core and a cladding mode can be excited. In either case the devices exhibit sinusoidal interference patterns with fringe spacing depending on the PCF length. The interferometers are highly stable over time and can operate at high temperatures with minimal degradation. The interferometers are suitable for highresolution sensing of strain, refractive index (biosensing), gases, volatile organic compounds, etc.

Time-dependent many-body treatment of electron-boson dynamics: Application to plasmon-accompanied photoemission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schüler, M.; Berakdar, J.; Pavlyukh, Y.

2016-02-01

Recent experiments access the time-resolved photoelectron signal originating from plasmon satellites in correlated materials and address their buildup and decay in real time. Motivated by these developments, we present the Kadanoff-Baym formalism for the nonequilibrium time evolution of interacting fermions and bosons. In contrast to the fermionic case, the bosons are described by second-order differential equations. Solution of the bosonic Kadanoff-Baym equations—which is the central ingredient of this work—requires substantial modification of the usual two-times electronic propagation scheme. The solution is quite general and can be applied to a number of problems, such as the interaction of electrons with quantized photons, phonons, and other bosonic excitations. Here the formalism is applied to the photoemission from a deep core hole accompanied by plasmon excitation. We compute the time-resolved photoelectron spectra and discuss the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic electron energy losses and their interference.

Positron beams and two-photon exchange: The key to precision form factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernauer, Jan C.

2018-05-01

The proton elastic form factor ratio can be measured either via Rosenbluth separation in an unpolarized beam and target experiment, or via the use of polarization degrees of freedom. However, data produced by these two approaches show a discrepancy, increasing with Q2. The proposed explanation of this discrepancy—two-photon exchange—has been tested recently by three experiments. The results support the existence of a small two-photon exchange effect but cannot establish that theoretical treatment at the measured momentum transfers are valid. At larger momentum transfers, theory remains untested. This paper investigates the possibilities of measurements at DESY and Jefferson Lab to measure the effect at larger momentum transfers.

Mode Engineering of Single Photons from Cavity Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion Source and Quantum Dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paudel, Uttam

Over the past decade, much effort has been made in identifying and characterizing systems that can form a building block of quantum networks, among which semiconductor quantum dots (QD) and spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) source are two of the most promising candidates. The work presented in this thesis will be centered on investigating and engineering the mentioned systems for generating customizable single photons. A type-II SPDC source can generate a highly flexible pair of entangled photons that can be used to interface disparate quantum systems. In this thesis, we have successfully implemented a cavity-SPDC source that emits polarization correlated photons at 942 nm with a lifetime of 950-1050ps that mode matches closely with InAs/GaAs QD photons. The source emits 80 photon pairs per second per mW pump power within the 150MHz bandwidth. Though the detection of idler photons, the source is capable of emitting heralded photons with g2?0.5 for up to 40 mW pump power. For a low pump power of 5 mW, the heralded g2 is 0.06, indicating that the system is an excellent heralded single photon source. By directly exciting a single QD with cavity-SPDC photons, we have demonstrated a heralded-absorption of SPDC photons by QD, resulting in the coupling of the two systems. Due to the large pump bandwidth, the emitted source is highly multimode in nature, requiring us to post-filter the downconverted field, resulting in a lower photon pair emission rate. We propose placing an intra-cavity etalon to suppress the multi-mode emissions and increase the photon count rate. Understanding and experimentally implementing two-photon interference (HOM) measurements will be crucial for building a scalable quantum network. A detailed theoretical description of HOM measurements is given and is experimentally demonstrated using photons emitted by QD. Through HOM measurements we demonstrated that the QD sample in the study is capable of emitting indistinguishable photons, with the visibility exceeding 95%. As an alternative approach to modifying the spectral mode of single photons, we performed phase modulation of photons emitted by a QD to generate additional sidebands that are separated by several GHz. By performing HOM measurements, we have shown that the central component and the sidebands are in the superposition states and the spectrally modified photons have a well-preserved indistinguishability. Such spectrally engineered photons can be used for phase-encoded cryptography applications. These experimental results should lay the foundations towards building a scalable hybrid quantum network.

Interfering with memory for faces: The cost of doing two things at once.

PubMed

Wammes, Jeffrey D; Fernandes, Myra A

2016-01-01

We inferred the processes critical for episodic retrieval of faces by measuring susceptibility to memory interference from different distracting tasks. Experiment 1 examined recognition of studied faces under full attention (FA) or each of two divided attention (DA) conditions requiring concurrent decisions to auditorily presented letters. Memory was disrupted in both DA relative to FA conditions, a result contrary to a material-specific account of interference effects. Experiment 2 investigated whether the magnitude of interference depended on competition between concurrent tasks for common processing resources. Studied faces were presented either upright (configurally processed) or inverted (featurally processed). Recognition was completed under FA, or DA with one of two face-based distracting tasks requiring either featural or configural processing. We found an interaction: memory for upright faces was lower under DA when the distracting task required configural than featural processing, while the reverse was true for memory of inverted faces. Across experiments, the magnitude of memory interference was similar (a 19% or 20% decline from FA) regardless of whether the materials in the distracting task overlapped with the to-be-remembered information. Importantly, interference was significantly larger (42%) when the processing demands of the distracting and target retrieval task overlapped, suggesting a processing-specific account of memory interference.

Low Cost Solar Array Project: Composition Measurements by Analytical Photon Catalysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutton, D. G.; Galvan, L.; Melzer, J.; Heidner, R. F., III

1979-01-01

The applicability of the photon catalysis technique for effecting composition analysis of silicon samples was assessed. Third quarter activities were devoted to the study of impurities in silicon matrices. The evaporation process was shown to be congruent; thus, the spectral analysis of the vapor yields the composition of the bulk sample. Qualitative analysis of metal impurities in silicon was demonstrated e part per million level. Only one atomic spectral interference was noted; however, it is imperative to maintain a leak tight system due to chemical and spectral interferences caused by the presence of even minute amounts of oxygen in the active nitrogen afterglow.

Photonic-based liquid level transmitter using Mach-Zehnder interferometer for industrial application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Yadvendra; Raghuwanshi, Sanjeev K.; Kumar, Manish

2018-02-01

In the present scenario the process control industries mainly uses 1-5 Volt or 4-20 mA protocol for transmitting the measured signal to remote location operators. These types of protocol prone to interference and limited data transfer rate. To overcome these types of limitation we proposed photonic based transmitter for liquid level measurement which will enhance data transfer rate and interference reduction to eliminate noise signal in the channel during transmission to make transmission more reliable, accurate and consistent in performance. The required mathematical derivation and the principle of operation of the transmitter are shown in the paper.

Two-color two-photon excited fluorescence of indole: Determination of wavelength-dependent molecular parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbrich, Sebastian; Al-Hadhuri, Tawfik; Gericke, Karl-Heinz; Shternin, Peter S.; Smolin, Andrey G.; Vasyutinskii, Oleg S.

2015-01-01

We present a detailed study of two-color two-photon excited fluorescence in indole dissolved in propylene glycol. Femtosecond excitation pulses at effective wavelengths from 268 to 293.33 nm were used to populate the two lowest indole excited states 1La and 1Lb and polarized fluorescence was then detected. All seven molecular parameters and the two-photon polarization ratio Ω containing information on two-photon absorption dynamics, molecular lifetime τf, and rotation correlation time τrot have been determined from experiment and analyzed as a function of the excitation wavelength. The analysis of the experimental data has shown that 1Lb-1La inversion occurred under the conditions of our experiment. The two-photon absorption predominantly populated the 1La state at all excitation wavelengths but in the 287-289 nm area which contained an absorption hump of the 1Lb state 0-0 origin. The components of the two-photon excitation tensor S were analyzed giving important information on the principal tensor axes and absorption symmetry. The results obtained are in a good agreement with the results reported by other groups. The lifetime τf and the rotation correlation time τrot showed no explicit dependence on the effective excitation wavelength. Their calculated weighted average values were found to be τf = 3.83 ± 0.14 ns and τrot = 0.74 ± 0.06 ns.

Opacity from two-photon processes

DOE PAGES

More, Richard M.; Hansen, Stephanie B.; Nagayama, Taisuke

2017-07-22

Here, the recent iron opacity measurements performed at Sandia National Laboratory by Bailey and collaborators have raised questions about the completeness of the physical models normally used to understand partially ionized hot dense plasmas. We describe calculations of two-photon absorption, which is a candidate for the observed extra opacity. Our calculations do not yet match the experiments but show that the two-photon absorption process is strong enough to require careful consideration.

Polarized two-photon photoselection in EGFP: Theory and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, T. A.; Marsh, R. J.; Blacker, T. S.; Armoogum, D. A.; Larijani, B.; Bain, A. J.

2018-04-01

In this work, we present a complete theoretical description of the excited state order created by two-photon photoselection from an isotropic ground state; this encompasses both the conventionally measured quadrupolar (K = 2) and the "hidden" degree of hexadecapolar (K = 4) transition dipole alignment, their dependence on the two-photon transition tensor and emission transition dipole moment orientation. Linearly and circularly polarized two-photon absorption (TPA) and time-resolved single- and two-photon fluorescence anisotropy measurements are used to determine the structure of the transition tensor in the deprotonated form of enhanced green fluorescent protein. For excitation wavelengths between 800 nm and 900 nm, TPA is best described by a single element, almost completely diagonal, two-dimensional (planar) transition tensor whose principal axis is collinear to that of the single-photon S0 → S1 transition moment. These observations are in accordance with assignments of the near-infrared two-photon absorption band in fluorescent proteins to a vibronically enhanced S0 → S1 transition.

Polarized two-photon photoselection in EGFP: Theory and experiment.

PubMed

Masters, T A; Marsh, R J; Blacker, T S; Armoogum, D A; Larijani, B; Bain, A J

2018-04-07

In this work, we present a complete theoretical description of the excited state order created by two-photon photoselection from an isotropic ground state; this encompasses both the conventionally measured quadrupolar (K = 2) and the "hidden" degree of hexadecapolar (K = 4) transition dipole alignment, their dependence on the two-photon transition tensor and emission transition dipole moment orientation. Linearly and circularly polarized two-photon absorption (TPA) and time-resolved single- and two-photon fluorescence anisotropy measurements are used to determine the structure of the transition tensor in the deprotonated form of enhanced green fluorescent protein. For excitation wavelengths between 800 nm and 900 nm, TPA is best described by a single element, almost completely diagonal, two-dimensional (planar) transition tensor whose principal axis is collinear to that of the single-photon S 0 → S 1 transition moment. These observations are in accordance with assignments of the near-infrared two-photon absorption band in fluorescent proteins to a vibronically enhanced S 0 → S 1 transition.

A glimpse of gluons through deeply virtual compton scattering on the proton.

PubMed

Defurne, M; Jiménez-Argüello, A Martí; Ahmed, Z; Albataineh, H; Allada, K; Aniol, K A; Bellini, V; Benali, M; Boeglin, W; Bertin, P; Brossard, M; Camsonne, A; Canan, M; Chandavar, S; Chen, C; Chen, J-P; de Jager, C W; de Leo, R; Desnault, C; Deur, A; El Fassi, L; Ent, R; Flay, D; Friend, M; Fuchey, E; Frullani, S; Garibaldi, F; Gaskell, D; Giusa, A; Glamazdin, O; Golge, S; Gomez, J; Hansen, O; Higinbotham, D; Holmstrom, T; Horn, T; Huang, J; Huang, M; Hyde, C E; Iqbal, S; Itard, F; Kang, H; Kelleher, A; Keppel, C; Koirala, S; Korover, I; LeRose, J J; Lindgren, R; Long, E; Magne, M; Mammei, J; Margaziotis, D J; Markowitz, P; Mazouz, M; Meddi, F; Meekins, D; Michaels, R; Mihovilovic, M; Camacho, C Muñoz; Nadel-Turonski, P; Nuruzzaman, N; Paremuzyan, R; Puckett, A; Punjabi, V; Qiang, Y; Rakhman, A; Rashad, M N H; Riordan, S; Roche, J; Russo, G; Sabatié, F; Saenboonruang, K; Saha, A; Sawatzky, B; Selvy, L; Shahinyan, A; Sirca, S; Solvignon, P; Sperduto, M L; Subedi, R; Sulkosky, V; Sutera, C; Tobias, W A; Urciuoli, G M; Wang, D; Wojtsekhowski, B; Yao, H; Ye, Z; Zhan, X; Zhang, J; Zhao, B; Zhao, Z; Zheng, X; Zhu, P

2017-11-10

The internal structure of nucleons (protons and neutrons) remains one of the greatest outstanding problems in modern nuclear physics. By scattering high-energy electrons off a proton we are able to resolve its fundamental constituents and probe their momenta and positions. Here we investigate the dynamics of quarks and gluons inside nucleons using deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS)-a highly virtual photon scatters off the proton, which subsequently radiates a photon. DVCS interferes with the Bethe-Heitler (BH) process, where the photon is emitted by the electron rather than the proton. We report herein the full determination of the BH-DVCS interference by exploiting the distinct energy dependences of the DVCS and BH amplitudes. In the regime where the scattering is expected to occur off a single quark, measurements show an intriguing sensitivity to gluons, the carriers of the strong interaction.

Ultra-small and broadband polarization splitters based on double-slit interference

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Chengwei; Li, Hongyun; Gong, Qihuang

2016-03-07

An ultra-small and broadband polarization splitter is numerically and experimentally demonstrated based on the double-slit interference in a polymer-film-coated double-slit structure. The hybrid slab waveguide (air-polymer-Au) supports both the transverse-magnetic and transverse-electric modes. The incident beam from the back side can excite these two guided modes of orthogonally polarized states in the hybrid structure. By exploiting the difference slit widths and the large mode birefringence, these two guided modes propagate to the opposite directions along the front metal surface. Moreover, the short interference length broadens the operation bandwidth. Experimentally, a polarization splitter with a lateral dimension of only about 1.6 μmmore » and an operation bandwidth of 50 nm is realized. By designing the double-slit structure in a hybrid strip waveguide, the device dimension can be significant downscaled to about 0.3 × 1.3 μm{sup 2}. Such an ultra-small and broadband polarization splitter may find important applications in the integrated photonic circuits.« less

Single-photon frequency conversion via cascaded quadratic nonlinear processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Tong; Sun, Qi-Chao; Li, Yuanhua; Zheng, Yuanlin; Chen, Xianfeng

2018-06-01

Frequency conversion of single photons is an important technology for quantum interface and quantum communication networks. Here, single-photon frequency conversion in the telecommunication band is experimentally demonstrated via cascaded quadratic nonlinear processes. Using cascaded quasi-phase-matched sum and difference frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide, the signal photon of a photon pair from spontaneous down-conversion is precisely shifted to identically match its counterpart, i.e., the idler photon, in frequency to manifest a clear nonclassical dip in the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. Moreover, quantum entanglement between the photon pair is maintained after the frequency conversion, as is proved in time-energy entanglement measurement. The scheme is used to switch single photons between dense wavelength-division multiplexing channels, which holds great promise in applications in realistic quantum networks.

Hard two-photon contribution to elastic lepton-proton scattering determined by the OLYMPUS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasell, D. K.; OLYMPUS Collaboration

2018-02-01

The OLYMPUS collaboration has recently made a precise measurement of the positron-proton to electron-proton elastic scattering cross section ratio, R 2γ, over a wide range of the virtual photon polarization, 0.456 < ɛ < 0.978. This provides a direct measure of hard two-photon exchange in elastic lepton-proton scattering widely thought to explain the discrepancy observed between unpolarized and polarized measurements of the proton form factor ratio, {μ }p{G}Ep/{G}Mp. The OLYMPUS results are small, within 1% on unity, over the range of momentum transfers measured and significantly lower than theoretical calculations that can explain part of the observed discrepancy in terms of two-photon exchange at higher momentum transfers. However, the results are in reasonable agreement with predictions based on phenomenological fits to the available form factor data. The motivation for measuring R 2γ will be presented followed by a description of the OLYMPUS experiment. The importance of radiative corrections in the analysis will be shown also. Then we will present the OLYMPUS results and compare with results from two similar experiments and theoretical calculations.

Resolving semantic and proactive interference in memory over the short-term.

PubMed

Atkins, Alexandra S; Berman, Marc G; Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A; Lewis, Richard L; Jonides, John

2011-07-01

Interference is a major source of short-term errors of memory. The present investigation explores the relationship between two important forms of interference: proactive interference (PI), induced by the need to reject recently studied items no longer relevant to task performance, and semantic interference (SI), induced by the need to reject lures sharing a meaningful relationship with current memoranda. We explore the possibility that shared cognitive control processes are recruited to resolve both forms of interference. In Experiment 1, we find that the requirement to engage in articulatory suppression during the retention interval of tasks that induce either PI or SI increases both forms of interference similarly and selectively. In Experiment 2, we develop a task to examine PI and SI within the same experimental context. The results show interactive effects between factors that lead to the two forms of interference. Taken together, these findings support contextual-cuing models of short-term remembering (Nairne, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 53-81 2002), where the context in which retrieval occurs can influence susceptibility to interference. Lastly, we discuss several theoretical hypotheses concerning the cognitive control processes that are recruited to resolve SI and PI in short-term remembering.

Resolving semantic and proactive interference in memory over the short-term

PubMed Central

Reuter-Lorenz, Patricia A.; Lewis, Richard L.; Jonides, John

2011-01-01

Interference is a major source of short-term errors of memory. The present investigation explores the relationship between two important forms of interference: proactive interference (PI), induced by the need to reject recently studied items no longer relevant to task performance, and semantic interference (SI), induced by the need to reject lures sharing a meaningful relationship with current memoranda. We explore the possibility that shared cognitive control processes are recruited to resolve both forms of interference. In Experiment 1, we find that the requirement to engage in articulatory suppression during the retention interval of tasks that induce either PI or SI increases both forms of interference similarly and selectively. In Experiment 2, we develop a task to examine PI and SI within the same experimental context. The results show interactive effects between factors that lead to the two forms of interference. Taken together, these findings support contextual-cuing models of short-term remembering (Nairne, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 53–81 2002), where the context in which retrieval occurs can influence susceptibility to interference. Lastly, we discuss several theoretical hypotheses concerning the cognitive control processes that are recruited to resolve SI and PI in short-term remembering. PMID:21327614

Interferometric nanoporous anodic alumina photonic coatings for optical sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuting; Santos, Abel; Wang, Ye; Kumeria, Tushar; Wang, Changhai; Li, Junsheng; Losic, Dusan

2015-04-01

Herein, we present a systematic study on the development, optical optimization and sensing applicability of colored photonic coatings based on nanoporous anodic alumina films grown on aluminum substrates. These optical nanostructures, so-called distributed Bragg reflectors (NAA-DBRs), are fabricated by galvanostatic pulse anodization process, in which the current density is altered in a periodic manner in order to engineer the effective medium of the resulting photonic coatings. As-prepared NAA-DBR photonic coatings present brilliant interference colors on the surface of aluminum, which can be tuned at will within the UV-visible spectrum by means of the anodization profile. A broad library of NAA-DBR colors is produced by means of different anodization profiles. Then, the effective medium of these NAA-DBR photonic coatings is systematically assessed in terms of optical sensitivity, low limit of detection and linearity by reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) in order to optimize their nanoporous structure toward optical sensors with enhanced sensing performance. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of these photonic nanostructures as optical platforms by selectively detecting gold(iii) ions in aqueous solutions. The obtained results reveal that optimized NAA-DBR photonic coatings can achieve an outstanding sensing performance for gold(iii) ions, with a sensitivity of 22.16 nm μM-1, a low limit of detection of 0.156 μM (i.e. 30.7 ppb) and excellent linearity within the working range (0.9983).Herein, we present a systematic study on the development, optical optimization and sensing applicability of colored photonic coatings based on nanoporous anodic alumina films grown on aluminum substrates. These optical nanostructures, so-called distributed Bragg reflectors (NAA-DBRs), are fabricated by galvanostatic pulse anodization process, in which the current density is altered in a periodic manner in order to engineer the effective medium of the resulting photonic coatings. As-prepared NAA-DBR photonic coatings present brilliant interference colors on the surface of aluminum, which can be tuned at will within the UV-visible spectrum by means of the anodization profile. A broad library of NAA-DBR colors is produced by means of different anodization profiles. Then, the effective medium of these NAA-DBR photonic coatings is systematically assessed in terms of optical sensitivity, low limit of detection and linearity by reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) in order to optimize their nanoporous structure toward optical sensors with enhanced sensing performance. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of these photonic nanostructures as optical platforms by selectively detecting gold(iii) ions in aqueous solutions. The obtained results reveal that optimized NAA-DBR photonic coatings can achieve an outstanding sensing performance for gold(iii) ions, with a sensitivity of 22.16 nm μM-1, a low limit of detection of 0.156 μM (i.e. 30.7 ppb) and excellent linearity within the working range (0.9983). Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The Supporting Information file provides further information about real-time monitoring of ΔOTeff with changes in the refractive index of the medium filling the nanopores, demonstration of visual red shift in a NAA-DBR sample after infiltration with isopropanol and calculations of linearity (R2) for each NAA-DBR coating. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00369e

Ultrafast optical switching in three-dimensional photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazurenko, D. A.

2004-09-01

The rapidly expanding research on photonic crystals is driven by potential applications in all-optical switches, optical computers, low-threshold lasers, and holographic data storage. The performance of such devices might surpass the speed of traditional electronics by several orders of magnitude and may result in a true revolution in nanotechnology. The heart of such devices would likely be an optical switching element. This thesis analyzes different regimes of ultrafast all-optical switching in various three-dimensional photonic crystals, in particular opals filled with silicon or vanadium dioxide and periodic arrays of silica-gold core-shell spherical particles with silica outer shell. In the experiment an ultrashort optical pulse is used to excite a photonic crystal and change its complex effective dielectric constant. The change in the imaginary part of the dielectric constant corresponds to the change in absorption that suppresses interference inside the photonic crystal and modifies the amplitude of the reflectivity, while the change in the real part of the dielectric constant accounts for a shift in a spectral position of the photonic stop band. The first type of switching is shown on an example of an opal filled with silicon. In this crystal, switching is induced by photo-excited carriers in silicon that act as an electron plasma and increase the absorption in silicon. Within 30 fs constructive interference inside the opal vanishes and Bragg reflectivity drops down. Changes in reflectivity reach values as high as 46% at maximum excitation power. The experimental results are in a good agreement with calculations. The second type of switching is demonstrated in opal filled with vanadium dioxide. Here, the optical switching is driven by a photoinduced phase transition of vanadium dioxide. The phase transition takes place on a subpicosecond time scale and changes the effective dielectric constant of the opal. As a result, the spectral position of the photonic stop band shifts to the blue leading to large (up to 35%) changes in the reflectivity. Metallo-dielectric photonic crystals give even more possibilities for the band-tuning, since in addition to the resonance for light they posses surface plasmon resonances. The interplay of these resonances leads to unusual optical phenomena. As an example, reflected light produces an unexpected beaming in the apexes of a hexagon with a divergence angle of 8°, in our sample. This angle is too small to be attributed to a simple diffraction on the periodic lattice of core-shells but can be explained by interference between surface plasmons and propagating surface waves. Time-resolved spectra demonstrate rapid changes immediately after the arrival of the pump pulse. Ultrafast reflection changes are dramatically enhanced by the plasmon resonances, and can reach values as high as 35%. A completely different mechanism for ultrafast switching is explored, based on the excitation of coherent acoustic radial vibrations of the gold spheres. This results in a 4% modulation of the reflectivity on a subnanosecond timescale. The observed oscillation properties of our gold-shell spheres are in excellent agreement with the calculations. The described results show that the demonstrated dynamical changes in the reflectivity of a three-dimensional photonic crystal can be made both large and ultrafast and therefore may prove to be relevant for future applications.

3D coherent X-ray diffractive imaging of an Individual colloidal crystal grain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabalin, A.; Meijer, J.-M.; Sprung, M.; Petukhov, A. V.; Vartanyants, I. A.

Self-assembled colloidal crystals represent an important model system to study nucleation phenomena and solid-solid phase transitions. They are attractive for applications in photonics and sensorics. We present results of a coherent x-ray diffractive imaging experiment performed on a single colloidal crystal grain. The full three-dimensional (3D) reciprocal space map measured by an azimuthal rotational scan contained several orders of Bragg reflections together with the coherent interference signal between them. Applying the iterative phase retrieval approach, the 3D structure of the crystal grain was reconstructed and positions of individual colloidal particles were resolved. We identified an exact stacking sequence of hexagonal close-packed layers including planar and linear defects. Our results open up a breakthrough in applications of coherent x-ray diffraction for visualization of the inner 3D structure of different mesoscopic materials, such as photonic crystals. Present address: University of California - San Diego, USA.

Biophotons, microtubules and CNS, is our brain a "holographic computer"?

PubMed

Grass, F; Klima, H; Kasper, S

2004-01-01

Several experiments show that there is a cell to cell communication by light in different cell types. This article describes theoretical mechanisms and subcellular structures that could be involved in this phenomenon. Special consideration is given to the nervous system, since it would have excellent conditions for such mechanisms. Neurons are large colourless cells with wide arborisations, have an active metabolism generating photons, contain little pigment, and have a prominent cytoskeleton consisting of hollow microtubules. As brain and spinal cord are protected from environmental light by bone and connective tissue, the signal to noise ratio should be high for photons as signal. Fluorescent and absorbing substances should interfere with such a communication system. Of all biogenic amines nature has chosen the ones with the strongest fluorescence as neurotransmitters for mood reactions: serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. If these mechanisms are of relevance our brain would have to be looked upon as a "holographic computer".

A Quantum Field Approach for Advancing Optical Coherence Tomography Part I: First Order Correlations, Single Photon Interference, and Quantum Noise.

PubMed

Brezinski, M E

2018-01-01

Optical coherence tomography has become an important imaging technology in cardiology and ophthalmology, with other applications under investigations. Major advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are likely to occur through a quantum field approach to the technology. In this paper, which is the first part in a series on the topic, the quantum basis of OCT first order correlations is expressed in terms of full field quantization. Specifically first order correlations are treated as the linear sum of single photon interferences along indistinguishable paths. Photons and the electromagnetic (EM) field are described in terms of quantum harmonic oscillators. While the author feels the study of quantum second order correlations will lead to greater paradigm shifts in the field, addressed in part II, advances from the study of quantum first order correlations are given. In particular, ranging errors are discussed (with remedies) from vacuum fluctuations through the detector port, photon counting errors, and position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, the principles of quantum field theory and first order correlations are needed for studying second order correlations in part II.

Realization of a complementary medium using dielectric photonic crystals.

PubMed

Xu, Tao; Fang, Anan; Jia, Ziyuan; Ji, Liyu; Hang, Zhi Hong

2017-12-01

By exploiting the scaling invariance of photonic band diagrams, a complementary photonic crystal slab structure is realized by stacking two uniformly scaled double-zero-index dielectric photonic crystal slabs together. The space cancellation effect in complementary photonic crystals is demonstrated in both numerical simulations and microwave experiments. The refractive index dispersion of double-zero-index dielectric photonic crystal is experimentally measured. Using pure dielectrics, our photonic crystal structure will be an ideal platform to explore various intriguing properties related to a complementary medium.

Spins and photons: connecting quantum registers in diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Childress, Lily

2012-06-01

Long-lived electronic and nuclear spin states have made the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect in diamond a leading candidate for quantum information processing in the solid state. Multi-qubit quantum registers formed by single defects and nearby nuclear spins can currently be controlled and detected with high fidelity. Nevertheless, development of coherent connections between distant NVs remains an outstanding challenge. One advantage to working with solid-state defects is the opportunity to integrate them with microfabricated mechanical, electronic, or optical devices; in principle, such devices could mediate interactions between registers, turning them into nodes within a larger quantum network. In the last few months, several experiments have made key steps toward realizing a coherent quantum interface between individual NV centers using a mechanical quantum bus [1] or optical channels [2,3]. This talk will explore the current state of the art, and report on recent observation of two photon quantum interference between different gate-tunable defect centers [2]. These results pave the way towards measurement-based entanglement between remote NV centers and the realization of quantum networks with solid-state spins.[4pt] [1] Kolkowitz et al., Science 335, 1603 (2012)[2] Bernien et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 043604 (2012)[3] Sipahigil et al., http://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/1112.3975

Neutronics Studies for the Nab Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Elizabeth; Nab Collaboration

2017-09-01

The Nab experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL aims to measure the neutron beta decay electron-neutrino correlation coefficient ``a'' and the Fierz interference term ``b'' with competitive precision. In Nab, the parameter ``a'' is extracted from the proton momentum and electron energy using an asymmetric magnetic spectrometer and two large-area highly pixelated Si detectors . To achieve 10-3 accuracy, there must be low background rates compared to our 1 kHz signal rates. The background is primarily reduced by using coincidence detection of the electron and photon from the decay. However, further reduction is still necessary. Neutron and gamma rates in the Si detectors can lead to false coincidences. The majority of this background radiation can be reduced by well designed collimation and shielding. The collimation design was done with McStas and the background shielding with MCNP6 (Monte Carlo N-Particle 6). Neutrons are absorbed by 6Li -loaded materials or borated polyethylene and gammas close to spectrometer with non magnetic materials such as lead and stainless steel. I will present the shielding design and MCNP6 results.

Single photon ranging system using two wavelengths laser and analysis of precision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yunfei; He, Weiji; Miao, Zhuang; Gu, Guohua; Chen, Qian

2013-09-01

The laser ranging system based on time correlation single photon counting technology and single photon detector has the feature of high precision and low emergent energy etc. In this paper, we established a single photon laser ranging system that use the supercontinuum laser as light source, and two wavelengths (532nm and 830nm) of echo signal as the stop signal. We propose a new method that is capable to improve the single photon ranging system performance. The method is implemented by using two single-photon detectors to receive respectively the two different wavelength signals at the same time. We extracted the firings of the two detectors triggered by the same laser pulse at the same time and then took mean time of the two firings as the combined detection time-of-flight. The detection by two channels using two wavelengths will effectively improve the detection precision and decrease the false alarm probability. Finally, an experimental single photon ranging system was established. Through a lot of experiments, we got the system precision using both single and two wavelengths and verified the effectiveness of the method.

Retrieval and Encoding Interference: Cross-Linguistic Evidence from Anaphor Processing

PubMed Central

Laurinavichyute, Anna; Jäger, Lena A.; Akinina, Yulia; Roß, Jennifer; Dragoy, Olga

2017-01-01

The main goal of this paper was to disentangle encoding and retrieval interference effects in anaphor processing and thus to evaluate the hypothesis predicting that structurally inaccessible nouns (distractors) are not considered to be potential anaphor antecedents during language processing (Nicol and Swinney, 1989). Three self-paced reading experiments were conducted: one in German, comparing gender-unmarked reflexives and gender-marked pronouns, and two in Russian, comparing gender-marked and -unmarked reflexives. In the German experiment, no interference effects were found. In the first experiment in Russian, an unexpected reading times pattern emerged: in the condition where the distractor matched the gender of the reflexive's antecedent, reading of the gender-unmarked, but not the gender-marked reflexives was slowed down. The same reading times pattern was replicated in a second experiment in Russian where the order of the reflexive and the main verb was inverted. We conclude that the results of the two experiments in Russian are inconsistent with the retrieval interference account, but can be explained by encoding interference and additional semantic processing efforts associated with the processing of gender-marked reflexives. In sum, we found no evidence that would allow us to reject the syntax as an early filer account (Nicol and Swinney, 1989). PMID:28649216

Tripartite counterfactual entanglement distribution.

PubMed

Chen, Yuanyuan; Gu, Xuemei; Jiang, Dong; Xie, Ling; Chen, Lijun

2015-08-10

We propose two counterfactual schemes for tripartite entanglement distribution without any physical particles travelling through the quantum channel. One scheme arranges three participators to connect with the absorption object by using switch. Using the "chained" quantum Zeno effect, three participators can accomplish the task of entanglement distribution with unique counterfactual interference probability. Another scheme uses Michelson-type interferometer to swap two entanglement pairs such that the photons of three participators are entangled. Moreover, the distance of entanglement distribution is doubled as two distant absorption objects are used. We also discuss the implementation issues to show that the proposed schemes can be realized with current technology.

Imaging of tumor hypermetabolism with near-infrared fluorescence contrast agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yu; Zheng, Gang; Zhang, Zhihong; Blessington, Dana; Intes, Xavier; Achilefu, Samuel I.; Chance, Britton

2004-08-01

We have developed a high sensitivity near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging system for non-invasive cancer detection through molecular labeled fluorescent contrast agents. Near-infrared (NIR) imaging can probe tissue deeply thus possess the potential for non-invasively detection of breast or lymph node cancer. Recent developments in molecular beacons can selectively label various pre-cancer/cancer signatures and provide high tumor to background contrast. To increase the sensitivity in detecting fluorescent photons and the accuracy of localization, phase cancellation (in- and anti-phase) device is employed. This frequency-domain system utilizes the interference-like pattern of diffuse photon density wave to achieve high detection sensitivity and localization accuracy for the fluorescent heterogeneity embedded inside the scattering media. The opto-electronic system consists of the laser sources, fiber optics, interference filter to select the fluorescent photons and the high sensitivity photon detector (photomultiplier tube). The source-detector pair scans the tissue surface in multiple directions and the two-dimensional localization image can be obtained using goniometric reconstruction. In vivo measurements with tumor-bearing mouse model using the novel Cypate-mono-2-deoxy-glucose (Cypate-2-D-Glucosamide) fluorescent contrast agent, which targets the enhanced tumor glycolysis, demonstrated the feasibility on detection of 2 cm deep subsurface tumor in the tissue-like medium, with a localization accuracy within 2 ~ 3 mm. This instrument has the potential for tumor diagnosis and imaging, and the accuracy of the localization suggests that this system could help to guide the clinical fine-needle biopsy. This portable device would be complementary to X-ray mammogram and provide add-on information on early diagnosis and localization of early breast tumor.

A photonic quantum information interface.

PubMed

Tanzilli, S; Tittel, W; Halder, M; Alibart, O; Baldi, P; Gisin, N; Zbinden, H

2005-09-01

Quantum communication requires the transfer of quantum states, or quantum bits of information (qubits), from one place to another. From a fundamental perspective, this allows the distribution of entanglement and the demonstration of quantum non-locality over significant distances. Within the context of applications, quantum cryptography offers a provably secure way to establish a confidential key between distant partners. Photons represent the natural flying qubit carriers for quantum communication, and the presence of telecommunications optical fibres makes the wavelengths of 1,310 nm and 1,550 nm particularly suitable for distribution over long distances. However, qubits encoded into alkaline atoms that absorb and emit at wavelengths around 800 nm have been considered for the storage and processing of quantum information. Hence, future quantum information networks made of telecommunications channels and alkaline memories will require interfaces that enable qubit transfers between these useful wavelengths, while preserving quantum coherence and entanglement. Here we report a demonstration of qubit transfer between photons of wavelength 1,310 nm and 710 nm. The mechanism is a nonlinear up-conversion process, with a success probability of greater than 5 per cent. In the event of a successful qubit transfer, we observe strong two-photon interference between the 710 nm photon and a third photon at 1,550 nm, initially entangled with the 1,310 nm photon, although they never directly interacted. The corresponding fidelity is higher than 98 per cent.

A quantum radar detection protocol for fringe visibility enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koltenbah, Benjamin; Parazzoli, Claudio; Capron, Barbara

2016-05-01

We present analysis of a radar detection technique using a Photon Addition Homodyne Receiver (PAHR) that improves SNR of the interferometer fringes and reduces uncertainty of the phase measurement. This system uses the concept of Photon Addition (PA) in which the coherent photon distribution is altered. We discuss this process first as a purely mathematical concept to introduce PA and illustrate its effect on coherent photon distribution. We then present a notional proof-of-concept experiment involving a parametric down converter (PDC) and probabilistic post-selection of the results. We end with presentation of a more deterministic PAHR concept that is more suitable for development into a working system. Coherent light illuminates a target and the return signal interferes with the local oscillator reference photons to create the desired fringes. The PAHR alters the photon probability distribution of the returned light via interaction between the return photons and atoms. We refer to this technique as "Atom Interaction" or AI. The returning photons are focused at the properly prepared atomic system. The injected atoms into this region are prepared in the desired quantum state. During the interaction time, the initial quantum state evolves in such a way that the photon distribution function changes resulting in higher photon count, lower phase noise and an increase in fringe SNR. The result is a 3-5X increase of fringe SNR. This method is best suited for low light intensity (low photon count, 0.1-5) applications. The detection protocol could extend the range of existing systems without loss of accuracy, or conversely enhance a system's accuracy for given range. We present quantum mathematical analysis of the method to illustrate how both range and angular resolution improve in comparison with standard measurement techniques. We also suggest an experimental path to validate the method which also will lead toward deployment in the field.

Two-photon fluorescence imaging and bimodal phototherapy of epidermal cancer cells with biocompatible self-assembled polymer nanoparticles.

PubMed

Kandoth, Noufal; Kirejev, Vladimir; Monti, Sandra; Gref, Ruxandra; Ericson, Marica B; Sortino, Salvatore

2014-05-12

We have developed herein an engineered polymer-based nanoplatform showing the convergence of two-photon fluorescence imaging and bimodal phototherapeutic activity in a single nanostructure. It was achieved through the appropriate choice of three different components: a β-cyclodextrin-based polymer acting as a suitable carrier, a zinc phthalocyanine emitting red fluorescence simultaneously as being a singlet oxygen ((1)O2) photosensitizer, and a tailored nitroaniline derivative, functioning as a nitric oxide (NO) photodonor. The self-assembly of these components results in photoactivable nanoparticles, approximately 35 nm in diameter, coencapsulating a multifunctional cargo, which can be delivered to carcinoma cells. The combination of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic and photochemical techniques shows that the two photoresponsive guests do not interfere with each other while being enclosed in their supramolecular container and can thus be operated in parallel under control of light stimuli. Specifically, two-photon fluorescence microscopy allows mapping of the nanoassembly, here applied to epidermal cancer cells. By detecting the red emission from the phthalocyanine fluorophore it was also possible to investigate the tissue distribution after topical delivery onto human skin ex vivo. Irradiation of the nanoassembly with visible light triggers the simultaneous delivery of cytotoxic (1)O2 and NO, resulting in an amplified cell photomortality due to a combinatory effect of the two cytotoxic agents. The potential of dual therapeutic photodynamic action and two-photon fluorescence imaging capability in a single nanostructure make this system an appealing candidate for further studies in biomedical research.

Relativity, entanglement and the physical reality of the photon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, S. C.

2002-04-01

Recent experiments on the classic Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) setting claim to test the compatibility between nonlocal quantum entanglement and the (special) theory of relativity. Confirmation of quantum theory has led to the interpretation that Einstein's image of physical reality for each photon in the EPR pair cannot be maintained. A detailed critique on two representative experiments is presented following the original EPR notion of local realism. It is argued that relativity does not enter into the picture, however for the Bell-Bohm version of local realism in terms of hidden variables such experiments are significant. Of the two alternatives, namely incompleteness of quantum theory for describing an individual quantum system, and the ensemble view, it is only the former that has been ruled out by the experiments. An alternative approach gives a statistical ensemble interpretation of the observed data, and the significant conclusion that these experiments do not deny physical reality of the photon is obtained. After discussing the need for a photon model, a vortex structure is proposed based on the space-time invariant property-spin, and pure gauge fields. To test the prime role of spin for photons and the angular-momentum interpretation of electromagnetic fields, experimental schemes feasible in modern laboratories are suggested.

COMPACT NON-CONTACT TOTAL EMISSION DETECTION FOR IN-VIVO MULTI-PHOTON EXCITATION MICROSCOPY

PubMed Central

Glancy, Brian; Karamzadeh, Nader S.; Gandjbakhche, Amir H.; Redford, Glen; Kilborn, Karl; Knutson, Jay R.; Balaban, Robert S.

2014-01-01

Summary We describe a compact, non-contact design for a Total Emission Detection (c-TED) system for intra-vital multi-photon imaging. To conform to a standard upright two-photon microscope design, this system uses a parabolic mirror surrounding a standard microscope objective in concert with an optical path that does not interfere with normal microscope operation. The non-contact design of this device allows for maximal light collection without disrupting the physiology of the specimen being examined. Tests were conducted on exposed tissues in live animals to examine the emission collection enhancement of the c-TED device compared to heavily optimized objective-based emission collection. The best light collection enhancement was seen from murine fat (5×-2× gains as a function of depth), while murine skeletal muscle and rat kidney showed gains of over two and just under two-fold near the surface, respectively. Gains decreased with imaging depth (particularly in the kidney). Zebrafish imaging on a reflective substrate showed close to a two-fold gain throughout the entire volume of an intact embryo (approximately 150 μm deep). Direct measurement of bleaching rates confirmed that the lower laser powers (enabled by greater light collection efficiency) yielded reduced photobleaching in vivo. The potential benefits of increased light collection in terms of speed of imaging and reduced photo-damage, as well as the applicability of this device to other multi-photon imaging methods is discussed. PMID:24251437

Optical proposals for controlled delayed-choice experiment based on weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Li; Lin, Yan-Fang; Li, Qing-Yang; Xiu, Xiao-Ming; Dong, Hai-Kuan; Gao, Ya-Jun

2017-05-01

Employing polarization modes of a photon, we propose two theoretical proposals to exhibit the wave-particle duality of the photon with the assistance of weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities. The first proposal is a classical controlled delayed-choice experiment (that is, Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment), where we can observe selectively wave property or particle property of the photon relying on the experimenter's selection, whereas the second proposal is a quantum controlled delayed-choice experiment, by which the mixture phenomenon of a wave and a particle will be exhibited. Both of them can be realized with near-unity probability and embody the charming characteristics of quantum mechanics. The employment of the mature techniques and simple operations (e.g., Homodyne measurement, classical feed forward, and single-photon transformations) provides the feasibility of the delayed-choice experiment proposals presented here.

Localization of one-photon state in space and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in spontaneous parametric down conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penin, A. N.; Reutova, T. A.; Sergienko, A. V.

1992-01-01

An experiment on one-photon state localization in space using a correlation technique in Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) process is discussed. Results of measurements demonstrate an idea of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox for coordinate and momentum variables of photon states. Results of the experiment can be explained with the help of an advanced wave technique. The experiment is based on the idea that two-photon states of optical electromagnetic fields arising in the nonlinear process of the spontaneous parametric down conversion (spontaneous parametric light scattering) can be explained by quantum mechanical theory with the help of a single wave function.

Localization of one-photon state in space and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox in spontaneous parametric down conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penin, A. N.; Reutova, T. A.; Sergienko, A. V.

1992-02-01

An experiment on one-photon state localization in space using a correlation technique in Spontaneous Parametric Down Conversion (SPDC) process is discussed. Results of measurements demonstrate an idea of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox for coordinate and momentum variables of photon states. Results of the experiment can be explained with the help of an advanced wave technique. The experiment is based on the idea that two-photon states of optical electromagnetic fields arising in the nonlinear process of the spontaneous parametric down conversion (spontaneous parametric light scattering) can be explained by quantum mechanical theory with the help of a single wave function.

Reciprocal relationships between value orientation and motivational interference during studying and leisure.

PubMed

Hofer, Manfred; Schmid, Sebastian; Fries, Stefan; Kilian, Britta; Kuhnle, Claudia

2010-12-01

Motivational interference is defined as the amount of impairment in a target activity due to the incentives of a non-chosen attractive alternative. The amount to which pupils experience motivational interference while studying or while performing a leisure activity in a school-leisure conflict situation is seen as depending on the values they attach to achievement and well-being. At the same time, values may also be effects of frequent experience of motivational interference in the respective areas. The study is aimed at investigating the reciprocal relationship between personal value orientations and the experience of motivational interference during studying and leisure. A total of 363 pupils (sixth to eighth graders at the time of first measurement) completed the same questionnaire twice in a 2-year interval. The questionnaire included measures of achievement and well-being value orientation and the experience of motivational interference during studying and during leisure in school-leisure conflicts. For this, two scenarios were created. In regression analyses, achievement and well-being value orientations as well as their interaction terms were used as predictors for experience of motivational interference at t(2) while controlling for experience of motivational interference at t(1), and vice versa. Additionally in path models, these relations were tested in an integrative way. Pupils' achievement value orientations were connected to differential changes in experiencing motivational interference during leisure and during studying in one scenario but only for pupils low or medium in well-being value orientation. Conversely, experience of motivational interference at t(1) was related to changes in value orientations 2 years later. High motivational interference during studying led to an increase in well-being value orientation, while high motivational interference during leisure was followed by a decrease in well-being value orientation and an increase in achievement value orientation. Overall, path models supported these results. The results are discussed in terms of value change and are linked to self-control and motivation research.

Working Memory Capacity and Stroop Interference: Global versus Local Indices of Executive Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meier, Matt E.; Kane, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Two experiments examined the relations among working memory capacity (WMC), congruency-sequence effects, proportion-congruency effects, and the color-word Stroop effect to test whether congruency-sequence effects might inform theoretical claims regarding WMC's prediction of Stroop interference. In Experiment 1, subjects completed either a…

Quantum key distribution without detector vulnerabilities using optically seeded lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comandar, L. C.; Lucamarini, M.; Fröhlich, B.; Dynes, J. F.; Sharpe, A. W.; Tam, S. W.-B.; Yuan, Z. L.; Penty, R. V.; Shields, A. J.

2016-05-01

Security in quantum cryptography is continuously challenged by inventive attacks targeting the real components of a cryptographic set-up, and duly restored by new countermeasures to foil them. Owing to their high sensitivity and complex design, detectors are the most frequently attacked components. It was recently shown that two-photon interference from independent light sources can be used to remove any vulnerability from detectors. This new form of detection-safe quantum key distribution (QKD), termed measurement-device-independent (MDI), has been experimentally demonstrated but with modest key rates. Here, we introduce a new pulsed laser seeding technique to obtain high-visibility interference from gain-switched lasers and thereby perform MDI-QKD with unprecedented key rates in excess of 1 megabit per second in the finite-size regime. This represents a two to six orders of magnitude improvement over existing implementations and supports the new scheme as a practical resource for secure quantum communications.

Enhanced-locality fiber-optic two-photon-fluorescence live-brain interrogation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fedotov, I. V.; Doronina-Amitonova, L. V.; Russian Quantum Center, ul. Novaya 100, Skolkovo, Moscow Region 1430125

2014-02-24

Two-photon excitation is shown to substantially enhance the locality of fiber-based optical interrogation of strongly scattering biotissues. In our experiments, a high-numerical-aperture, large-core-are fiber probe is used to deliver the 200-fs output of a 100-MHz mode-locked ytterbium fiber laser to samples of live mouse brain, induce two-photon fluorescence of nitrogen–vacancy centers in diamond markers in brain sample. Fiber probes with a high numerical aperture and a large core area are shown to enable locality enhancement in fiber-laser–fiber-probe two-photon brain excitation and interrogation without sacrificing the efficiency of fluorescence response collection.

Search for Invisible Axion Dark Matter with the Axion Dark Matter Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, N.; Force, N.; Khatiwada, R.; Lentz, E.; Ottens, R.; Rosenberg, L. J.; Rybka, G.; Carosi, G.; Woollett, N.; Bowring, D.; Chou, A. S.; Sonnenschein, A.; Wester, W.; Boutan, C.; Oblath, N. S.; Bradley, R.; Daw, E. J.; Dixit, A. V.; Clarke, J.; O'Kelley, S. R.; Crisosto, N.; Gleason, J. R.; Jois, S.; Sikivie, P.; Stern, I.; Sullivan, N. S.; Tanner, D. B.; Hilton, G. C.; ADMX Collaboration

2018-04-01

This Letter reports the results from a haloscope search for dark matter axions with masses between 2.66 and 2.81 μ eV . The search excludes the range of axion-photon couplings predicted by plausible models of the invisible axion. This unprecedented sensitivity is achieved by operating a large-volume haloscope at subkelvin temperatures, thereby reducing thermal noise as well as the excess noise from the ultralow-noise superconducting quantum interference device amplifier used for the signal power readout. Ongoing searches will provide nearly definitive tests of the invisible axion model over a wide range of axion masses.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Dr. Yanhua; McCandless, Andrew Bascom

The main objective of this project is to improve the performance and reliability of sensor networks in the smart grid through an active interference cancellation technique that can effectively eliminate broadband electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). This noise cancellation provides real-time monitoring the RF environment and automatically optimization of the signal fidelity. To determine the feasibility of the proposed technique and quantify the level of improvement in key system parameters, such as data rate, signal bandwidth, and cost saving, the tasks carried out during Phase I were 1) defining the problem statement, 2) developing a design thatmore » will solve the sensors’ reliably problem, 3) carrying out initial testing with a prototype, and 4) developing an integrated photonic chip version that could be built in a follow-on Phase II effort. The technology demonstration was successfully proven the feasibility of a mission assured photonic sensor system (MAPSS) that will address a major interference problem in smart grid deployments. The significant results demonstrated from bench-top testing show that the technology is capable of maintaining the error free communication link in the presence of various type of interference. The technology’s wideband performance in GHz is also verified and would be suitable for sensors deploying throughout the smart grid system.« less

Spatiotemporal interference of photoelectron wave packets and the time scale of nonadiabatic transitions in the high-frequency regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyota, Koudai

2016-10-01

The method of the envelope Hamiltonian [K. Toyota, U. Saalmann, and J. M. Rost, New J. Phys. 17, 073005 (2015), 10.1088/1367-2630/17/7/073005] is applied to further study a detachment dynamics of a model negative ion in one dimension in the high-frequency regime. This method is based on the Floquet approach, but the time dependency of an envelope function is explicitly kept for arbitrary pulse durations. Therefore, it is capable of describing not only a photon absorption or emission, but also a nonadiabatic transition which is induced by the time-varying envelope of the pulse. It was shown that the envelope Hamiltonian accurately retrieves the results obtained by the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, and the underlying physics were well understood by the adiabatic approximation based on the envelope Hamiltonian. In this paper, we explore two more aspects of the detachment dynamics, which were not considered in our previous work. First, we determine the features of both a spatial and temporal interference of photoelectron wave packets in a photon-absorption process. We conclude that both of the interference mechanisms are universal in ionization dynamics in the high-frequency regime. Second, we extract a pulse duration which maximizes a yield of the nonadiabatic transition as a function of a pulse duration. It is shown that it becomes maximum when the pulse duration is comparable to a time scale of an electron.

Active temporal multiplexing of indistinguishable heralded single photons

PubMed Central

Xiong, C.; Zhang, X.; Liu, Z.; Collins, M. J.; Mahendra, A.; Helt, L. G.; Steel, M. J.; Choi, D. -Y.; Chae, C. J.; Leong, P. H. W.; Eggleton, B. J.

2016-01-01

It is a fundamental challenge in quantum optics to deterministically generate indistinguishable single photons through non-deterministic nonlinear optical processes, due to the intrinsic coupling of single- and multi-photon-generation probabilities in these processes. Actively multiplexing photons generated in many temporal modes can decouple these probabilities, but key issues are to minimize resource requirements to allow scalability, and to ensure indistinguishability of the generated photons. Here we demonstrate the multiplexing of photons from four temporal modes solely using fibre-integrated optics and off-the-shelf electronic components. We show a 100% enhancement to the single-photon output probability without introducing additional multi-photon noise. Photon indistinguishability is confirmed by a fourfold Hong–Ou–Mandel quantum interference with a 91±16% visibility after subtracting multi-photon noise due to high pump power. Our demonstration paves the way for scalable multiplexing of many non-deterministic photon sources to a single near-deterministic source, which will be of benefit to future quantum photonic technologies. PMID:26996317

The spurious response of microwave photonic mixer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yongchuan; Zhong, Guoshun; Qu, Pengfei; Sun, Lijun

2018-02-01

Microwave photonic mixer is a potential solution for wideband information systems due to the ultra-wide operating bandwidth, high LO-to-RF isolation, the intrinsic immunity to electromagnetic interference, and the compatibility with exsiting microwave photonic transmission systems. The spurious response of microwave photonic mixer cascading in series a pair of Mach-Zehnder interferometric intensity modulators has been simulated and analyzed in this paper. The low order spurious products caused by the nonlinearity of modulators are non-negligible, and the proper IF frequency and accurate bias-controlling are of great importance to mitigate the impact of spurious products.

Summaries of Papers Presented at Photonic Switching Topical Meeting Held in Salt Lake City, Utah on 1-3 March 1989. Technical Digest

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-31

a set of codes which will provide a large number of addresses while minimizing interference . We have analyzed the bit error rate (BER) of the...there will be significant crosstalk. The most severe interference will be caused by the unswitched component of the high-intensity pulses. For example...Diagram of Experimental Apparatus Q = Quarter-wave Plate P = Polarising Filter IF = Interference Filter Figure 2. I Oscilloscope trace a. of Kerr

Two-center interference effects in (e, 2e) ionization of H2 and CO2 at large momentum transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Masakazu; Nakajima, Isao; Satoh, Hironori; Watanabe, Noboru; Jones, Darryl; Takahashi, Masahiko

2015-09-01

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in understanding quantum mechanical interference effects in molecular ionization. Since this interference appears as a consequence of coherent electron emission from the different molecular centers, it should depend strongly on the nature of the ionized molecular orbital. Such molecular orbital patterns can be investigated by means of binary (e, 2e) spectroscopy, which is a kinematically-complete electron-impact ionization experiment performed under the high-energy Bethe ridge conditions. In this study, two-center interference effects in the (e, 2e) cross sections of H2 and CO2 at large momentum transfer are demonstrated with a high-statistics experiment, in order to elucidate the relationship between molecular orbital patterns and the interference structure. It is shown that the two-center interference is highly sensitive to the phase, spatial pattern, symmetry of constituent atomic orbital, and chemical bonding nature of the molecular orbital. This work was partially supported by Grant-in-Aids for Scientific Research (S) (No. 20225001) and for Young Scientists (B) (No. 21750005) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Two-Laser Interference Visible to the Naked Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kawalec, Tomasz; Bartoszek-Bober, Dobroslawa

2012-01-01

An experimental setup allowing the observation of two-laser interference by the naked eye is described. The key concept is the use of an electronic phase lock between two external cavity diode lasers. The experiment is suitable both for undergraduate and graduate students, mainly in atomic physics laboratories. It gives an opportunity for…

Comparison of femtosecond- and nanosecond-two-photon-absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF) of atomic oxygen in atmospheric-pressure plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Jacob B.; Sands, Brian; Scofield, James; Gord, James R.; Roy, Sukesh

2017-05-01

Absolute number densities of atomic species produced by nanosecond (ns)-duration, repetitively pulsed electric discharges are measured by two-photon-absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF). Unique to this work is the development of femtosecond-laser-based TALIF (fs-TALIF) that offers a number of advantages over more conventional nanosecond (ns)-pulse-duration laser techniques, such as higher-fidelity quenching rate measurements over a wide pressure range, significantly reduced photolytic interference (including photo-dissociation and photo-ionization), ability to collect two-dimensional images of atomic-species number densities with high spatial resolution aided by higher signal level, and efficient and accurate measurements of atomic-species number densities due to the higher repetition rates of the laser. For full quantification of these advantages, atomic-oxygen TALIF signals are collected from an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet employing both ns- and fs-duration laser-excitation pulses and the results are compared and contrasted.

A new method for spatial structure detection of complex inner cavities based on 3D γ-photon imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Hui; Zhao, Min; Liu, Jiantang; Liu, Jiao; Chen, Hao

2018-05-01

This paper presents a new three-dimensional (3D) imaging method for detecting the spatial structure of a complex inner cavity based on positron annihilation and γ-photon detection. This method first marks carrier solution by a certain radionuclide and injects it into the inner cavity where positrons are generated. Subsequently, γ-photons are released from positron annihilation, and the γ-photon detector ring is used for recording the γ-photons. Finally, the two-dimensional (2D) image slices of the inner cavity are constructed by the ordered-subset expectation maximization scheme and the 2D image slices are merged to the 3D image of the inner cavity. To eliminate the artifact in the reconstructed image due to the scattered γ-photons, a novel angle-traversal model is proposed for γ-photon single-scattering correction, in which the path of the single scattered γ-photon is analyzed from a spatial geometry perspective. Two experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed correction model and the advantage of the proposed testing method in detecting the spatial structure of the inner cavity, including the distribution of gas-liquid multi-phase mixture inside the inner cavity. The above two experiments indicate the potential of the proposed method as a new tool for accurately delineating the inner structures of industrial complex parts.

Particle and Photon Detection: Counting and Energy Measurement

PubMed Central

Janesick, James; Tower, John

2016-01-01

Fundamental limits for photon counting and photon energy measurement are reviewed for CCD and CMOS imagers. The challenges to extend photon counting into the visible/nIR wavelengths and achieve energy measurement in the UV with specific read noise requirements are discussed. Pixel flicker and random telegraph noise sources are highlighted along with various methods used in reducing their contribution on the sensor’s read noise floor. Practical requirements for quantum efficiency, charge collection efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency that interfere with photon counting performance are discussed. Lastly we will review current efforts in reducing flicker noise head-on, in hopes to drive read noise substantially below 1 carrier rms. PMID:27187398

Complex photonic lattices embedded with tailored intrinsic defects by a dynamically reconfigurable single step interferometric approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xavier, Jolly, E-mail: jolly.xavierp@physics.iitd.ac.in; Joseph, Joby, E-mail: joby@physics.iitd.ac.in

2014-02-24

We report sculptured diverse photonic lattices simultaneously embedded with intrinsic defects of tunable type, number, shape as well as position by a single-step dynamically reconfigurable fabrication approach based on a programmable phase spatial light modulator-assisted interference lithography. The presented results on controlled formation of intrinsic defects in periodic as well as transversely quasicrystallographic lattices, irrespective and independent of their designed lattice geometry, portray the flexibility and versatility of the approach. The defect-formation in photonic lattices is also experimentally analyzed. Further, we also demonstrate the feasibility of fabrication of such defects-embedded photonic lattices in a photoresist, aiming concrete integrated photonic applications.

Changing room cues reduces the effects of proactive interference in Clark's Nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana.

PubMed

Lewis, Jody L; Kamil, Alan C; Webbink, Kate E

2013-04-01

To determine what factors are important for minimizing interference effects in spatial memory, Clark's Nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana were tested for their spatial memory for two serial lists of locations per day. In this experiment two unique landmark sets were either different between List 1 and List 2 or the same. We found that Nutcrackers were most susceptible to interference when the landmark sets were the same. This study suggests that repeatedly testing animal memory in the same room, with the same cues, can hamper recall due to interference.

Conditions for Interference Versus Facilitation During Sequential Sensorimotor Adaptation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bock, Otmar; Schneider, Stefan; Bloomberg, Jacob

2001-01-01

We investigated how sensorimotor adaptation acquired during one experimental session influenced the adaptation in a subsequent session. The subjects' task was to track a visual target using a joystick-controlled cursor, while the relationship between joystick and cursor position was manipulated to introduce a sensorimotor discordance. Each subject participated in two sessions, separated by a pause of 2 min to 1 month duration. We found that adaptation was achieved within minutes, and persisted in the memory for at least a month, with only a small decay (experiment A). When the discordances administered in the two sessions were in mutual conflict, we found evidence for task interference (experiment B). However, when the discordances were independent, we found facilitation rather than interference (experiment C); the latter finding could not be explained by the use of an "easier" discordance in the second session (experiment D). We conclude that interference is due to an incompatibility between task requirements, and not to a competition of tasks for short-term memory. We further conclude that the ability to adapt to a sensorimotor discordance.

Two-photon exchange in elastic electron–proton scattering

DOE PAGES

Afanasev, A.; Blunden, P. G.; Hasell, D.; ...

2017-04-17

Here, we review recent theoretical and experimental progress on the role of two-photon exchange (TPE) in electron-proton scattering at low to moderate momentum transfers. We make a detailed comparison and analysis of the results of competing experiments on the ratio of e +p to e -p elastic scattering cross sections, and of the theoretical calculations describing them. A summary of the current experimental situation is provided, along with an outlook for future experiments.

Ramsey method for Auger-electron interference induced by an attosecond twin pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buth, Christian; Schafer, Kenneth J.

2015-02-01

We examine the archetype of an interference experiment for Auger electrons: two electron wave packets are launched by inner-shell ionizing a krypton atom using two attosecond light pulses with a variable time delay. This setting is an attosecond realization of the Ramsey method of separated oscillatory fields. Interference of the two ejected Auger-electron wave packets is predicted, indicating that the coherence between the two pulses is passed to the Auger electrons. For the detection of the interference pattern an accurate coincidence measurement of photo- and Auger electrons is necessary. The method allows one to control inner-shell electron dynamics on an attosecond timescale and represents a sensitive indicator for decoherence.

One- and two-photon photosensitized singlet oxygen production: characterization of aromatic ketones as sensitizer standards.

PubMed

Arnbjerg, Jacob; Paterson, Martin J; Nielsen, Christian B; Jørgensen, Mikkel; Christiansen, Ove; Ogilby, Peter R

2007-07-05

Singlet molecular oxygen, O2(a1Deltag), can be efficiently produced in a photosensitized process using either one- or two-photon irradiation. The aromatic ketone 1-phenalenone (PN) is an established one-photon singlet oxygen sensitizer with many desirable attributes for use as a standard. In the present work, photophysical properties of two other aromatic ketones, pyrene-1,6-dione (PD) and benzo[cd]pyren-5-one (BP), are reported and compared to those of PN. Both PD and BP sensitize the production of singlet oxygen with near unit quantum efficiency in a nonpolar (toluene) and a polar (acetonitrile) solvent. With their more extensive pi networks, the one-photon absorption spectra for PD and BP extend out to longer wavelengths than that for PN, thus providing increased flexibility for sensitizer excitation over the range approximately 300-520 nm. Moreover, PD and BP have much larger two-photon absorption cross sections than PN over the range 655-840 nm which, in turn, results in amounts of singlet oxygen that are readily detected in optical experiments. One- and two-photon absorption spectra of PD and BP obtained using high-level calculations model the salient features of the experimental data well. In particular, the ramifications of molecular symmetry are clearly reflected in both the experimental and calculated spectra. The use of PD and BP as standards for both the one- and two-photon photosensitized production of singlet oxygen is expected to facilitate the development of new sensitizers for application in singlet-oxygen-based imaging experiments.

Nuclear interference in the Coulomb explosion of H2+ in short vuv laser fields.

PubMed

Førre, Morten; Barmaki, Samira; Bachau, Henri

2009-03-27

We report ab initio calculations of H2+ three-photon ionization by vuv/fs 10(12) W/cm(2) laser pulses including electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The initial nuclear wave packet of H2+(1ssigma(g)) is assumed to be equal to the H2 vibrational ground state. For pulse durations longer than 10 fs, we find an unexpected modulation in the kinetic energy spectra of the correlated fragments (H++H+). It is shown that the structures in the spectra originate from the interference between a direct and a sequential dissociation channel. While the first channel is open even for relatively short pulses, the sequential one only opens for pulse durations longer than 10 fs. In the latter case we show that interference between the two components results in a modulated kinetic energy release spectrum in the dissociation channel 3dsigma(g), which is reflected in the ionization spectrum.

Formation of hemoglobin photoproduct is responsible for two-photon and single photon-excited fluorescence of red blood cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirshin, Evgeny A.; Yakimov, Boris P.; Rodionov, Sergey A.; Omelyanenko, Nikolai P.; Priezzhev, Alexander V.; Fadeev, Victor V.; Lademann, Juergen; Darvin, Maxim E.

2018-07-01

Two-photon excited fluorescence of red blood cells (RBC) has been reported to be applicable for their assessment in vitro and in vivo. The corresponding fluorescence emission was ascribed to hemoglobin (Hb), however, as Hb is essentially non-fluorescent at single-photon excitation, the mechanism of two-photon excited fluorescence of RBC remains debatable. Here we show that a fluorescent photoproduct, characterized by an ultrafast decay of excitation, is formed after irradiation of Hb with femtosecond laser pulses with ca. 8 · 10‑5 quantum yield, and that it is also fluorescent at single-photon excitation. The formation of a similar photoproduct was also shown for Hb continuous wave irradiation with blue light with ca. 10‑5 formation quantum yield. The kinetics of the Hb photoproduct formation and its spectral properties were investigated. The obtained results clarify the processes responsible for RBC fluorescence observed in two-photon microscopy experiments.

Production of e+e- Pairs Accompanied by Nuclear Dissociation in Ultra-peripheral Heavy Ion Collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, J.; Adler, C.; Aggarwal, M.M.

2004-04-07

We present the first data on e{sup +}e{sup -} pair production accompanied by nuclear breakup in ultra-peripheral gold-gold collisions at a center of mass energy of 200 GeV per nucleon pair. The nuclear breakup requirement selects events at small impact parameters, where higher-order corrections to the pair production cross section should be enhanced. We compare the pair kinematic distributions with two calculations: one based on the equivalent photon approximation, and the other using lowest-order quantum electrodynamics (QED); the latter includes the photon virtuality. The cross section, pair mass, rapidity and angular distributions are in good agreement with both calculations. Themore » pair transverse momentum, p{sub T}, spectrum agrees with the QED calculation, but not with the equivalent photon approach. We set limits on higher-order contributions to the cross section. The e{sup +} and e{sup -} p{sub T} spectra are similar, with no evidence for interference effects due to higher-order diagrams.« less

The mechanism of color change in the neon tetra fish: a light-induced tunable photonic crystal array.

PubMed

Gur, Dvir; Palmer, Benjamin A; Leshem, Ben; Oron, Dan; Fratzl, Peter; Weiner, Steve; Addadi, Lia

2015-10-12

The fresh water fish neon tetra has the ability to change the structural color of its lateral stripe in response to a change in the light conditions, from blue-green in the light-adapted state to indigo in the dark-adapted state. The colors are produced by constructive interference of light reflected from stacks of intracellular guanine crystals, forming tunable photonic crystal arrays. We have used micro X-ray diffraction to track in time distinct diffraction spots corresponding to individual crystal arrays within a single cell during the color change. We demonstrate that reversible variations in crystal tilt within individual arrays are responsible for the light-induced color variations. These results settle a long-standing debate between the two proposed models, the "Venetian blinds" model and the "accordion" model. The insight gained from this biogenic light-induced photonic tunable system may provide inspiration for the design of artificial optical tunable systems. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Two-color two-photon excited fluorescence of indole: Determination of wavelength-dependent molecular parameters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herbrich, Sebastian; Al-Hadhuri, Tawfik; Gericke, Karl-Heinz, E-mail: k.Gericke@tu-bs.de

2015-01-14

We present a detailed study of two-color two-photon excited fluorescence in indole dissolved in propylene glycol. Femtosecond excitation pulses at effective wavelengths from 268 to 293.33 nm were used to populate the two lowest indole excited states {sup 1}L{sub a} and {sup 1}L{sub b} and polarized fluorescence was then detected. All seven molecular parameters and the two-photon polarization ratio Ω containing information on two-photon absorption dynamics, molecular lifetime τ{sub f}, and rotation correlation time τ{sub rot} have been determined from experiment and analyzed as a function of the excitation wavelength. The analysis of the experimental data has shown that {supmore » 1}L{sub b}–{sup 1}L{sub a} inversion occurred under the conditions of our experiment. The two-photon absorption predominantly populated the {sup 1}L{sub a} state at all excitation wavelengths but in the 287–289 nm area which contained an absorption hump of the {sup 1}L{sub b} state 0-0 origin. The components of the two-photon excitation tensor S were analyzed giving important information on the principal tensor axes and absorption symmetry. The results obtained are in a good agreement with the results reported by other groups. The lifetime τ{sub f} and the rotation correlation time τ{sub rot} showed no explicit dependence on the effective excitation wavelength. Their calculated weighted average values were found to be τ{sub f} = 3.83 ± 0.14 ns and τ{sub rot} = 0.74 ± 0.06 ns.« less

Photonic nanojet super-resolution in immersed ordered assembly of dielectric microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geints, Y. E.; Zemlyanov, A. A.

2017-10-01

Specific spatially-localized optical field structure, which is often referred to as a photonic nanojet (PNJ), is formed in the near-field scattering area of non-absorbing dielectric micron-sized particle exposed to an optical radiation. By virtue of the finite-difference time-domain technique we numerically simulate the two-dimensional array of PNJs created by an ordered single-layer microassembly of glass microspheres immersed in a transparent polymer matrix. The behavior of the main PNJ parameters (length, diameter, and intensity) is analyzed subject to the immersion depth of the microparticles and cooperative interference effects of the neighboring microspheres. We show that depending on microassembly configuration, the PNJ quality can be significantly improved; in particular, the PNJ spatial resolution better than λ/5 can be achieved.

Vibronic coupling simulations for linear and nonlinear optical processes: Simulation results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverstein, Daniel W.; Jensen, Lasse

2012-02-01

A vibronic coupling model based on time-dependent wavepacket approach is applied to simulate linear optical processes, such as one-photon absorbance and resonance Raman scattering, and nonlinear optical processes, such as two-photon absorbance and resonance hyper-Raman scattering, on a series of small molecules. Simulations employing both the long-range corrected approach in density functional theory and coupled cluster are compared and also examined based on available experimental data. Although many of the small molecules are prone to anharmonicity in their potential energy surfaces, the harmonic approach performs adequately. A detailed discussion of the non-Condon effects is illustrated by the molecules presented in this work. Linear and nonlinear Raman scattering simulations allow for the quantification of interference between the Franck-Condon and Herzberg-Teller terms for different molecules.

Novel method of detecting movement of the interference fringes using one-dimensional PSD.

PubMed

Wang, Qi; Xia, Ji; Liu, Xu; Zhao, Yong

2015-06-02

In this paper, a method of using a one-dimensional position-sensitive detector (PSD) by replacing charge-coupled device (CCD) to measure the movement of the interference fringes is presented first, and its feasibility is demonstrated through an experimental setup based on the principle of centroid detection. Firstly, the centroid position of the interference fringes in a fiber Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) interferometer is solved in theory, showing it has a higher resolution and sensitivity. According to the physical characteristics and principles of PSD, a simulation of the interference fringe's phase difference in fiber M-Z interferometers and PSD output is carried out. Comparing the simulation results with the relationship between phase differences and centroid positions in fiber M-Z interferometers, the conclusion that the output of interference fringes by PSD is still the centroid position is obtained. Based on massive measurements, the best resolution of the system is achieved with 5.15, 625 μm. Finally, the detection system is evaluated through setup error analysis and an ultra-narrow-band filter structure. The filter structure is configured with a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing positive and negative refraction material, which can eliminate background light in the PSD detection experiment. This detection system has a simple structure, good stability, high precision and easily performs remote measurements, which makes it potentially useful in material small deformation tests, refractivity measurements of optical media and optical wave front detection.

FocusStack and StimServer: a new open source MATLAB toolchain for visual stimulation and analysis of two-photon calcium neuronal imaging data.

PubMed

Muir, Dylan R; Kampa, Björn M

2014-01-01

Two-photon calcium imaging of neuronal responses is an increasingly accessible technology for probing population responses in cortex at single cell resolution, and with reasonable and improving temporal resolution. However, analysis of two-photon data is usually performed using ad-hoc solutions. To date, no publicly available software exists for straightforward analysis of stimulus-triggered two-photon imaging experiments. In addition, the increasing data rates of two-photon acquisition systems imply increasing cost of computing hardware required for in-memory analysis. Here we present a Matlab toolbox, FocusStack, for simple and efficient analysis of two-photon calcium imaging stacks on consumer-level hardware, with minimal memory footprint. We also present a Matlab toolbox, StimServer, for generation and sequencing of visual stimuli, designed to be triggered over a network link from a two-photon acquisition system. FocusStack is compatible out of the box with several existing two-photon acquisition systems, and is simple to adapt to arbitrary binary file formats. Analysis tools such as stack alignment for movement correction, automated cell detection and peri-stimulus time histograms are already provided, and further tools can be easily incorporated. Both packages are available as publicly-accessible source-code repositories.

FocusStack and StimServer: a new open source MATLAB toolchain for visual stimulation and analysis of two-photon calcium neuronal imaging data

PubMed Central

Muir, Dylan R.; Kampa, Björn M.

2015-01-01

Two-photon calcium imaging of neuronal responses is an increasingly accessible technology for probing population responses in cortex at single cell resolution, and with reasonable and improving temporal resolution. However, analysis of two-photon data is usually performed using ad-hoc solutions. To date, no publicly available software exists for straightforward analysis of stimulus-triggered two-photon imaging experiments. In addition, the increasing data rates of two-photon acquisition systems imply increasing cost of computing hardware required for in-memory analysis. Here we present a Matlab toolbox, FocusStack, for simple and efficient analysis of two-photon calcium imaging stacks on consumer-level hardware, with minimal memory footprint. We also present a Matlab toolbox, StimServer, for generation and sequencing of visual stimuli, designed to be triggered over a network link from a two-photon acquisition system. FocusStack is compatible out of the box with several existing two-photon acquisition systems, and is simple to adapt to arbitrary binary file formats. Analysis tools such as stack alignment for movement correction, automated cell detection and peri-stimulus time histograms are already provided, and further tools can be easily incorporated. Both packages are available as publicly-accessible source-code repositories1. PMID:25653614

Interference of Single Photons Emitted by Entangled Atoms in Free Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araneda, G.; Higginbottom, D. B.; Slodička, L.; Colombe, Y.; Blatt, R.

2018-05-01

The generation and manipulation of entanglement between isolated particles has precipitated rapid progress in quantum information processing. Entanglement is also known to play an essential role in the optical properties of atomic ensembles, but fundamental effects in the controlled emission and absorption from small, well-defined numbers of entangled emitters in free space have remained unobserved. Here we present the control of the emission rate of a single photon from a pair of distant, entangled atoms into a free-space optical mode. Changing the length of the optical path connecting the atoms modulates the single-photon emission rate in the selected mode with a visibility V =0.27 ±0.03 determined by the degree of entanglement shared between the atoms, corresponding directly to the concurrence Cρ=0.31 ±0.10 of the prepared state. This scheme, together with population measurements, provides a fully optical determination of the amount of entanglement. Furthermore, large sensitivity of the interference phase evolution points to applications of the presented scheme in high-precision gradient sensing.

Optical recording in functional polymer nanocomposites by multi-beam interference holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuk, Dmitrij; Burunkova, Julia; Kalabin, Viacheslav; Csarnovics, Istvan; Kokenyesi, Sandor

2017-05-01

Our investigations relate to the development of new polymer nanocomposite materials and technologies for fabrication of photonic elements like gratings, integrated elements, photonic crystals. The goal of the present work was the development and application of the multi-beam interference method for one step, direct formation of 1-, 2- or even 3D photonic structures in functional acrylate nanocomposites, which contain SiO2 and Au nanoparticles and which are sensitized to blue and green laser illumination. The presence of gold nanoparticles and possibility to excite plasmonic effects can essentially influence the polymerization processes and the spatial redistribution of nanoparticles in the nanocomposite during the recording. This way surface and volume phase reliefs can be recorded. It is essential, that no additional treatments of the material after the recording are necessary and the elements possess high transparency, are stable after some relaxation time. New functionalities can be provided to the recorded structures if luminescent materials are added to such materials.

Deterministic Integration of Quantum Dots into on-Chip Multimode Interference Beamsplitters Using in Situ Electron Beam Lithography.

PubMed

Schnauber, Peter; Schall, Johannes; Bounouar, Samir; Höhne, Theresa; Park, Suk-In; Ryu, Geun-Hwan; Heindel, Tobias; Burger, Sven; Song, Jin-Dong; Rodt, Sven; Reitzenstein, Stephan

2018-04-11

The development of multinode quantum optical circuits has attracted great attention in recent years. In particular, interfacing quantum-light sources, gates, and detectors on a single chip is highly desirable for the realization of large networks. In this context, fabrication techniques that enable the deterministic integration of preselected quantum-light emitters into nanophotonic elements play a key role when moving forward to circuits containing multiple emitters. Here, we present the deterministic integration of an InAs quantum dot into a 50/50 multimode interference beamsplitter via in situ electron beam lithography. We demonstrate the combined emitter-gate interface functionality by measuring triggered single-photon emission on-chip with g (2) (0) = 0.13 ± 0.02. Due to its high patterning resolution as well as spectral and spatial control, in situ electron beam lithography allows for integration of preselected quantum emitters into complex photonic systems. Being a scalable single-step approach, it paves the way toward multinode, fully integrated quantum photonic chips.

Ultrafast coherent excitation of a trapped ion qubit for fast gates and photon frequency qubits.

PubMed

Madsen, M J; Moehring, D L; Maunz, P; Kohn, R N; Duan, L-M; Monroe, C

2006-07-28

We demonstrate ultrafast coherent excitation of an atomic qubit stored in the hyperfine levels of a single trapped cadmium ion. Such ultrafast excitation is crucial for entangling networks of remotely located trapped ions through the interference of photon frequency qubits, and is also a key component for realizing ultrafast quantum gates between Coulomb-coupled ions.

Antishadowing and nuclear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Białas, A.; CzYżz, W.

1994-05-01

Using standard methods of nuclear optics, we investigate the recent suggestion by Kharzeev and Satz that antishadowing of photons in nuclear matter may be an effect of quantum interference. We show that the Kharzeev-Satz effect is controlled by the real part of the elastic scattering amplitude of the strongly interacting system coupled to the photon and traversing the nucleus. Phenomenological consequences of this observation are discussed.

Creating aperiodic photonic structures by synthesized Mathieu-Gauss beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasiljević, Jadranka M.; Zannotti, Alessandro; Timotijević, Dejan V.; Denz, Cornelia; Savić, Dragana M. Jović

2017-08-01

We demonstrate a kind of aperiodic photonic structure realized using the interference of multiple Mathieu-Gauss beams. Depending on the beam configurations, their mutual distances, angles of rotation, or phase relations we are able to observe different classes of such aperiodic optically induced refractive index structures. Our experimental approach is based on the optical induction in a single parallel writing process.

A Quantum Field Approach for Advancing Optical Coherence Tomography Part I: First Order Correlations, Single Photon Interference, and Quantum Noise

PubMed Central

Brezinski, ME

2018-01-01

Optical coherence tomography has become an important imaging technology in cardiology and ophthalmology, with other applications under investigations. Major advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging are likely to occur through a quantum field approach to the technology. In this paper, which is the first part in a series on the topic, the quantum basis of OCT first order correlations is expressed in terms of full field quantization. Specifically first order correlations are treated as the linear sum of single photon interferences along indistinguishable paths. Photons and the electromagnetic (EM) field are described in terms of quantum harmonic oscillators. While the author feels the study of quantum second order correlations will lead to greater paradigm shifts in the field, addressed in part II, advances from the study of quantum first order correlations are given. In particular, ranging errors are discussed (with remedies) from vacuum fluctuations through the detector port, photon counting errors, and position probability amplitude uncertainty. In addition, the principles of quantum field theory and first order correlations are needed for studying second order correlations in part II. PMID:29863177

Photon beam asymmetry Σ in the reaction γ → p → pω for Eγ = 1.152 to 1.876 GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, P.; Ritchie, B. G.; Dugger, M.; Klein, F. J.; Anisovich, A. V.; Klempt, E.; Nikonov, V. A.; Sarantsev, A.; Adhikari, K. P.; Adhikari, S.; Adikaram, D.; Akbar, Z.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Avakian, H.; Ball, J.; Baltzell, N. A.; Bashkanov, M.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Burkert, V. D.; Cao, Frank Thanh; Cao, T.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Charles, G.; Chetry, T.; Ciullo, G.; Clark, L.; Cole, P. L.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Defurne, M.; Deur, A.; Djalali, C.; Dupre, R.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Glazier, D. I.; Gleason, C.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Hafidi, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hanretty, C.; Harrison, N.; Hattawy, M.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Hollis, G.; Holtrop, M.; Hughes, S. M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Jenkins, D.; Jiang, H.; Jo, H. S.; Joosten, S.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khachatryan, M.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, A.; Kim, W.; Klein, A.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lanza, L.; Lenisa, P.; Livingston, K.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; McKinnon, B.; Meyer, C. A.; Meziani, Z. E.; Mineeva, T.; Mokeev, V.; Montgomery, R. A.; Movsisyan, A.; Munevar, E.; Munoz Camacho, C.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Net, L. A.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Paremuzyan, R.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, W.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Procureur, S.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Raue, B. A.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Sabatié, F.; Salgado, C.; Schumacher, R. A.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Simonyan, A.; Skorodumina, Iu.; Smith, G. D.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stankovic, I.; Stepanyan, S.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Taiuti, M.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Walford, N. K.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Wood, M. H.; Zachariou, N.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Z. W.

2017-10-01

Photon beam asymmetry Σ measurements for ω photoproduction in the reaction γ → p → ωp are reported for photon energies from 1.152 to 1.876 GeV. Data were taken using a linearly-polarized tagged photon beam, a cryogenic hydrogen target, and the CLAS spectrometer in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The measurements obtained markedly increase the size of the database for this observable, extend coverage to higher energies, and resolve discrepancies in previously published data. Comparisons of these new results with predictions from a chiral-quark-based model and from a dynamical coupled-channels model indicate the importance of interferences between t-channel meson exchange and s- and u-channel contributions, underscoring sensitivity to the nucleon resonances included in those descriptions. Comparisons with the Bonn-Gatchina partial-wave analysis indicate the Σ data reported here help to fix the magnitudes of the interference terms between the leading amplitudes in that calculation (Pomeron exchange and the resonant portion of the JP = 3 /2+ partial wave), as well as the resonant portions of the smaller partial waves with JP = 1 /2-, 3 /2-, and 5 /2+.

Generation of mechanical interference fringes by multi-photon counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ringbauer, M.; Weinhold, T. J.; Howard, L. A.; White, A. G.; Vanner, M. R.

2018-05-01

Exploring the quantum behaviour of macroscopic objects provides an intriguing avenue to study the foundations of physics and to develop a suite of quantum-enhanced technologies. One prominent path of study is provided by quantum optomechanics which utilizes the tools of quantum optics to control the motion of macroscopic mechanical resonators. Despite excellent recent progress, the preparation of mechanical quantum superposition states remains outstanding due to weak coupling and thermal decoherence. Here we present a novel optomechanical scheme that significantly relaxes these requirements allowing the preparation of quantum superposition states of motion of a mechanical resonator by exploiting the nonlinearity of multi-photon quantum measurements. Our method is capable of generating non-classical mechanical states without the need for strong single-photon coupling, is resilient against optical loss, and offers more favourable scaling against initial mechanical thermal occupation than existing schemes. Moreover, our approach allows the generation of larger superposition states by projecting the optical field onto NOON states. We experimentally demonstrate this multi-photon-counting technique on a mechanical thermal state in the classical limit and observe interference fringes in the mechanical position distribution that show phase super-resolution. This opens a feasible route to explore and exploit quantum phenomena at a macroscopic scale.

WILGA Photonics and Web Engineering, January 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

2012-05-01

The paper presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from technical universities during the SPIE-IEEE Wilga January 2012 Symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, new technologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics codesign, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium held two times a year is a summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of chosen Wilga references is presented [1-268].

Stopping while Going! Response Inhibition Does Not Suffer Dual-Task Interference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Logan, Gordon D.; Bissett, Patrick G.

2012-01-01

Although dual-task interference is ubiquitous in a variety of task domains, stop-signal studies suggest that response inhibition is not subject to such interference. Nevertheless, no study has directly examined stop-signal performance in a dual-task setting. In two experiments, stop-signal performance was examined in a psychological refractory…

The role of group index engineering in series-connected photonic crystal microcavities for high density sensor microarrays

PubMed Central

Zou, Yi; Chakravarty, Swapnajit; Zhu, Liang; Chen, Ray T.

2014-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate an efficient and robust method for series connection of photonic crystal microcavities that are coupled to photonic crystal waveguides in the slow light transmission regime. We demonstrate that group index taper engineering provides excellent optical impedance matching between the input and output strip waveguides and the photonic crystal waveguide, a nearly flat transmission over the entire guided mode spectrum and clear multi-resonance peaks corresponding to individual microcavities that are connected in series. Series connected photonic crystal microcavities are further multiplexed in parallel using cascaded multimode interference power splitters to generate a high density silicon nanophotonic microarray comprising 64 photonic crystal microcavity sensors, all of which are interrogated simultaneously at the same instant of time. PMID:25316921

Tissue characterization with ballistic photons: counting scattering and/or absorption centres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corral, F.; Strojnik, M.; Paez, G.

2015-03-01

We describe a new method to separate ballistic from the scattered photons for optical tissue characterization. It is based on the hypothesis that the scattered photons acquire a phase delay. The photons passing through the sample without scattering or absorption preserve their coherence so they may participate in interference. We implement a Mach-Zehnder experimental setup where the ballistic photons pass through the sample with the delay caused uniquely by the sample indices of refraction. We incorporate a movable mirror on the piezoelectric actuator in the sample arm to detect the amplitude of the modulation term. We present the theory that predicts the path-integrated (or total) concentration of the scattering and absorption centres. The proposed technique may characterize samples with transmission attenuation of ballistic photons by a factor of 10-14.

Double ionization of He(1[ital s][sup 2]) and He(1[ital s]2[ital s] [sup 3][ital S]) by a single high-energy photon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teng, Z.; Shakeshaft, R.

1994-05-01

We have calculated the energy and angular distributions for double ionization of He(1[ital s][sup 2]) and He(1[ital s]2[ital s] [sup 3][ital S]) by one photon, over a range of photon energies up to a few keV. The calculations were based on using a fairly accurate initial-state wave function, determined so as to exactly satisfy the Kato cusp conditions, and a final-state wave function which is a product of three Coulomb wave functions modified by a short-range correction term. There are at least three different mechanisms for double ionization, and each one leaves a mark on the angular distribution. When themore » energies of the two electrons are equal, the contribution of each mechanism to the angular asymmetry parameter can be estimated on theoretical grounds; we compare these estimates with the calculated results to give a further indication of the roles of the various mechanisms. Concerning the shapes of the energy and angular distributions, we find significant differences between double ionization of singlet and triplet helium; in particular, the probability for one high-energy photon to eject two equal-energy electrons from triplet helium nearly vanishes owing to the Pauli exclusion principle and to interference effects resulting from antisymmetrization. In two appendixes we present some details of the integration involved in the calculations.« less

Multimodal transmission property in a liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wei; Miao, Yinping; Song, Binbin; Zhang, Hao; Liu, Bo; Liu, Yange; Yan, Donglin

2015-02-01

The multimode interference (MMI) effect in a liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber (PCF) has been experimentally demonstrated by fully infiltrating the air-hole cladding of a solid-core PCF with the refractive index (RI) matching liquid whose RI is close to the silica background. Due to the weak mode confinement capability of the cladding region, several high-order modes are excited to establish the multimode interference effect. The multimode interferometer shows a good temperature tunability of 12.30 nm/K, which makes it a good candidate for a highly tunable optical filtering as well as temperature sensing applications. Furthermore, this MMI effect would have great promise in various applications such as highly sensitive multi-parameter sensing, tunable optically filtering, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Experimental investigation of criteria for continuous variable entanglement.

PubMed

Bowen, W P; Schnabel, R; Lam, P K; Ralph, T C

2003-01-31

We generate a pair of entangled beams from the interference of two amplitude squeezed beams. The entanglement is quantified in terms of EPR paradox and inseparability criteria, with both results clearly beating the standard quantum limit. We experimentally analyze the effect of decoherence on each criterion and demonstrate qualitative differences. We also characterize the number of required and excess photons present in the entangled beams and provide contour plots of the efficacy of quantum information protocols in terms of these variables.

Obtaining tight bounds on higher-order interferences with a 5-path interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauten, Thomas; Keil, Robert; Kaufmann, Thomas; Pressl, Benedikt; Brukner, Časlav; Weihs, Gregor

2017-03-01

Within the established theoretical framework of quantum mechanics, interference always occurs between pairs of paths through an interferometer. Higher order interferences with multiple constituents are excluded by Born’s rule and can only exist in generalized probabilistic theories. Thus, high-precision experiments searching for such higher order interferences are a powerful method to distinguish between quantum mechanics and more general theories. Here, we perform such a test in an optical multi-path interferometer, which avoids crucial systematic errors, has access to the entire phase space and is more stable than previous experiments. Our results are in accordance with quantum mechanics and rule out the existence of higher order interference terms in optical interferometry to an extent that is more than four orders of magnitude smaller than the expected pairwise interference, refining previous bounds by two orders of magnitude.

The Effect of Modality Shifts on Practive Interference in Long-Term Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Raymond S.; And Others

1983-01-01

In experiment one, subjects learned a word list in blocked or random forms of auditory/visual change. In experiment two, high- and low-conceptual rigid subjects read passages in shift conditions or nonshift, exclusively in auditory or visual modes. A shift in modality provided a powerful release from proactive interference. (Author/CM)

Studies for the electro-magnetic calorimeter SplitCal for the SHiP experiment at CERN with shower direction reconstruction capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonivento, Walter M.

2018-02-01

This paper describes the basic ideas and the first simulation results of a new electro-magnetic calorimeter concept, named SplitCal, aimed at optimising the measurement of photon direction in fixed-target experiment configuration, with high photon detection efficiency. This calorimeter was designed for the invariant mass reconstruction of axion-like particles decaying into two photons in the mass range 200 MeV to 1 GeV for the proposed proton beam dump experiment SHiP at CERN. Preliminary results indicate that angular resolutions better than obtained by past experiments can be achieved with this design. An implementation of this concept with real technologies is under study.

Retroactive interference in short-term memory and the word-length effect.

PubMed

Campoy, Guillermo

2011-09-01

Two experiments investigated the possibility that the word-length effect in short-term memory (STM) is a consequence of long words generating a greater level of retroactive interference than shorter words. In Experiment 1, six-word lists were auditorily presented under articulatory suppression for immediate serial reconstruction of only the first three words. These three words were always drawn from a single set of middle-length words, whereas the last three positions were occupied by either short or long interfering words. The results showed worse memory performance when the to-be-remembered words were followed by long words. In Experiment 2, a recent-probes task was used, in which recent negative probes matched a target word in trial n-2. The results showed lower levels of proactive interference when trial n-1 involved long words instead of short words, suggesting that long words displaced previous STM content to a greater extent. By two different experimental approaches, therefore, this study shows that long words produce more retroactive interference than short words, supporting an interference-based account for the word-length effect. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

4D (x-y-z-t) imaging of thick biological samples by means of Two-Photon inverted Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy (2PE-iSPIM)

PubMed Central

Lavagnino, Zeno; Sancataldo, Giuseppe; d’Amora, Marta; Follert, Philipp; De Pietri Tonelli, Davide; Diaspro, Alberto; Cella Zanacchi, Francesca

2016-01-01

In the last decade light sheet fluorescence microscopy techniques, such as selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM), has become a well established method for developmental biology. However, conventional SPIM architectures hardly permit imaging of certain tissues since the common sample mounting procedure, based on gel embedding, could interfere with the sample morphology. In this work we propose an inverted selective plane microscopy system (iSPIM), based on non-linear excitation, suitable for 3D tissue imaging. First, the iSPIM architecture provides flexibility on the sample mounting, getting rid of the gel-based mounting typical of conventional SPIM, permitting 3D imaging of hippocampal slices from mouse brain. Moreover, all the advantages brought by two photon excitation (2PE) in terms of reduction of scattering effects and contrast improvement are exploited, demonstrating an improved image quality and contrast compared to single photon excitation. The system proposed represents an optimal platform for tissue imaging and it smooths the way to the applicability of light sheet microscopy to a wider range of samples including those that have to be mounted on non-transparent surfaces. PMID:27033347

Optical Properties and Wave Propagation in Semiconductor-Based Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agio, Mario

2002-12-31

This work is a theoretical investigation on the physical properties of semiconductor-based two-dimensional photonic crystals, in particular for what concerns systems embedded in planar dielectric waveguides (GaAs/AlGaAs, GaInAsP/InP heterostructures, and self-standing membranes) or based on macro-porous silicon. The photonic-band structure of photonic crystals and photonic-crystal slabs is numerically computed and the associated light-line problem is discussed, which points to the issue of intrinsic out-of-lane diffraction losses for the photonic bands lying above the light line. The photonic states are then classified by the group theory formalism: each mode is related to an irreducible representation of the corresponding small point group.more » The optical properties are investigated by means of the scattering matrix method, which numerically implements a variable-angle-reflectance experiment; comparison with experiments is also provided. The analysis of surface reflectance proves the existence of selection rules for coupling an external wave to a certain photonic mode. Such rules can be directly derived from symmetry considerations. Lastly, the control of wave propagation in weak-index contrast photonic-crystal slabs is tackled in view of designing building blocks for photonic integrated circuits. The proposed designs are found to comply with the major requirements of low-loss propagation, high and single-mode transmission. These notions are then collected to model a photonic-crystal combiner for an integrated multi-wavelength-source laser.« less

Why did we elaborate an entangled photons experiment in our engineering school?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacubowiez, Lionel; Avignon, Thierry

2005-10-01

We will describe a simple setup experiment that allows students to create polarization-entangled photons pairs. These photon pairs are in an entangled state first described in the famous 1935 article in Phys.Rev by Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen, often called E.P.R. state. Photons pairs at 810 nm are produced in two nonlinear crystals by spontaneous parametric downconversion of photons at 405 nm emitted by a violet laser diode. The polarization state of the photons pairs is easily tunable with a half-wave plate and a Babinet compensator on the laser diode beam. After having adjusted the polarization-entangled state of the photon pairs, our students can perform a test of Bell's inequalities. They will find the amazing value for the Bell parameter between 2.3 and 2.6, depending on the quality of the adjustments of the state of polarization. The experiments described can be done in 4 or 5 hours. What is the importance of creating an entangled photons experiment for our engineering students? First of all, entanglement concept is clearly one of the most strikingly nonclassical features of quantum theory and it is playing an increasing role in present-day physics. But in this paper, we will emphasise the experimental point of view. We will try to explain why we believe that for our students this lab experiment is a unique opportunity to deal with established concepts and experimental techniques on polarization, non linear effects, phase matching, photon counting avalanche photodiodes, counting statistics, coincidences detectors. Let us recall that the first convincing experimental violations of Bell's inequalities were performed by Alain Aspect and Philippe Grangier with pairs of entangled photons at the Institut d'Optique between 1976 and 1982. Twenty five years later, due to recent advances in laser diode technology, new techniques for generation of photon pairs and avalanche photodiodes, this experiment is now part of the experimental lab courses for our students.

Double-slit experiment in momentum space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, I. P.; Seipt, D.; Surzhykov, A.; Fritzsche, S.

2016-08-01

Young's classic double-slit experiment demonstrates the reality of interference when waves and particles travel simultaneously along two different spatial paths. Here, we propose a double-slit experiment in momentum space, realized in the free-space elastic scattering of vortex electrons. We show that this process proceeds along two paths in momentum space, which are well localized and well separated from each other. For such vortex beams, the (plane-wave) amplitudes along the two paths acquire adjustable phase shifts and produce interference fringes in the final angular distribution. We argue that this experiment can be realized with the present-day technology. We show that it gives experimental access to the Coulomb phase, a quantity which plays an important role in all charged particle scattering but which usual scattering experiments are insensitive to.