Quantum storage of photonic entanglement in a crystal

Entanglement is the fundamental characteristic of quantum physics-much experimental effort is devoted to harnessing it between various physical systems. In particular, entanglement between light and material systems is interesting owing to their anticipated respective roles as 'flying' and stationary qubits in quantum information technologies (such as quantum repeaters and quantum networks). Here we report the demonstration of entanglement between a photon at a telecommunication wavelength (1,338?nm) and a single collective atomic excitation stored in a crystal. One photon from an energy-time entangled pair is mapped onto the crystal and then released into a well-defined spatial mode after a predetermined storage time. The other (telecommunication wavelength) photon is sent directly through a 50-metre fibre link to an analyser. Successful storage of entanglement in the crystal is proved by a violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality by almost three standard deviations (S = 2.64?±?0.23). These results represent an important step towards quantum communication technologies based on solid-state devices. In particular, our resources pave the way for building multiplexed quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum networks.     

量子纠缠的新理论

利用独立态矢特性,首次提出了一个纠缠态的定义及构造纠缠的理论,并进一步给出了多粒子系统的纠缠方式,进而给出基本纠缠方式的纠缠度的定义式,并推导出其公式,得出了三粒子系统的非纠缠判据.     

Scaling of entanglement close to a quantum phase transition

Classical phase transitions occur when a physical system reaches a state below a critical temperature characterized by macroscopic order. Quantum phase transitions occur at absolute zero; they are induced by the change of an external parameter or coupling constant, and are driven by quantum fluctuations. Examples include transitions in quantum Hall systems, localization in Si-MOSFETs (metal oxide silicon field-effect transistors; ref. 4) and the superconductor-insulator transition in two-dimensional systems. Both classical and quantum critical points are governed by a diverging correlation length, although quantum systems possess additional correlations that do not have a classical counterpart. This phenomenon, known as entanglement, is the resource that enables quantum computation and communication. The role of entanglement at a phase transition is not captured by statistical mechanics-a complete classification of the critical many-body state requires the introduction of concepts from quantum information theory. Here we connect the theory of critical phenomena with quantum information by exploring the entangling resources of a system close to its quantum critical point. We demonstrate, for a class of one-dimensional magnetic systems, that entanglement shows scaling behaviour in the vicinity of the transition point.     

受激辐射下两原子有效量子纠缠

研究了受激辐射相互作用下两原子体系的量子纠缠特性.运用量子绝热近似方法,获得了体系的有效哈密顿量,讨论了在该哈密顿量下两原子量子纠缠的动力学演化.研究结果说明,在大失谐条件下,受激辐射相互作用可以将两原子制备到最大纠缠的Bell态,在退相干时间内,原子的自发辐射及热环境对量子纠缠的影响不大.     

量子纠缠与超光速量子通信

量子通信是经典通信和量子力学相结合的一门新兴交叉学科.在介绍量子纠缠特性的基础上,对量子隐形传态进行了探讨,提出了超光速量子通信的途径.     

Experimental test of quantum nonlocality in three-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger entanglement

Bell's theorem states that certain statistical correlations predicted by quantum physics for measurements on two-particle systems cannot be understood within a realistic picture based on local properties of each individual particle-even if the two particles are separated by large distances. Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen first recognized the fundamental significance of these quantum correlations (termed 'entanglement' by Schrodinger) and the two-particle quantum predictions have found ever-increasing experimental support. A more striking conflict between quantum mechanical and local realistic predictions (for perfect correlations) has been discovered; but experimental verification has been difficult, as it requires entanglement between at least three particles. Here we report experimental confirmation of this conflict, using our recently developed method to observe three-photon entanglement, or 'Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger' (GHZ) states. The results of three specific experiments, involving measurements of polarization correlations between three photons, lead to predictions for a fourth experiment; quantum physical predictions are mutually contradictory with expectations based on local realism. We find the results of the fourth experiment to be in agreement with the quantum prediction and in striking conflict with local realism.     

双模最小关联混态的纠缠及其量子起伏

研究了最小关联态的纠缠度与相关参数之间的关系。分析了不同参数情况下最小关联态发生纠缠时相关参数的取值范围以及全量子起伏与相关参数的关系;另外进一步分析了最小关联态的Wehrl熵,同时对标准EPR型纠缠态为的纠缠度作了进一步的计算。     

Review on the study of entanglement in quantum computation speedup

The role the quantum entanglement plays in quantum computation speedup has been widely disputed. Some believe that quantum computation's speedup over classical computation is impossible if entan-glement is absent,while others claim that the presence of entanglement is not a necessary condition for some quantum algorithms. This paper discusses this problem systematically. Simulating quantum computation with classical resources is analyzed and entanglement in known algorithms is reviewed. It is concluded that the presence of entanglement is a necessary but not sufficient condition in the pure state or pseudo-pure state quantum computation speedup. The case with the mixed state remains open. Further work on quantum computation will benefit from the presented results.     

Vacuum Rabi splitting with a single quantum dot in a photonic crystal nanocavity

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems allow the study of a variety of fundamental quantum-optics phenomena, such as entanglement, quantum decoherence and the quantum-classical boundary. Such systems also provide test beds for quantum information science. Nearly all strongly coupled cavity QED experiments have used a single atom in a high-quality-factor (high-Q) cavity. Here we report the experimental realization of a strongly coupled system in the solid state: a single quantum dot embedded in the spacer of a nanocavity, showing vacuum-field Rabi splitting exceeding the decoherence linewidths of both the nanocavity and the quantum dot. This requires a small-volume cavity and an atomic-like two-level system. The photonic crystal slab nanocavity--which traps photons when a defect is introduced inside the two-dimensional photonic bandgap by leaving out one or more holes--has both high Q and small modal volume V, as required for strong light-matter interactions. The quantum dot has two discrete energy levels with a transition dipole moment much larger than that of an atom, and it is fixed in the nanocavity during growth.     

量子Dicke模型中纠缠与自旋压缩性质的研究

在经典极限条件下,量子化的Dicke模型表现为混沌动力学特征.通过研究量子纠缠和量子自旋压缩特性,得到以下结论:线性熵对于初态函数的选择,在相空间的不同区域有不同的表现,混沌区域的量子纠缠明显增大,规则区域则减弱;量子自旋压缩在相空间也表现出对混沌和规则区域的敏感性,混沌区域与规则区域相比较,存在自旋压缩的可能性较大;相同条件下,线性熵和压缩系数的变化趋势具有相似的表现行为.     

Amplifying stationary quantum discord and entanglement between a superconducting qubit and a data bus by time-dependent electromagnetic field

We study the dynamics of quantum discord and entanglement between a superconducting qubit and a data bus,which is driven by a controllable time-dependent electromagnetic field,in the presence of phase decoherence and find that the quantum discord and entanglement remain at a stationary non-zero value for long time evolution.It is shown that the amount of stationary quantum discord and entanglement can be enhanced by applying the time-dependent electromagnetic field.     

四原子一般W态的确定隐形传态方案

提出一个基于QED腔技术的四原子一般W态的确定隐形传态方案.方案将联合贝尔态测量转化为两个单原子态的测量,从而实现四原子一般W态的确定隐形传态,该方案成功的概率可以达到1,并且不受腔衰减和热场的影响.     

Experimental demonstration of quantum memory for light

The information carrier of today's communications, a weak pulse of light, is an intrinsically quantum object. As a consequence, complete information about the pulse cannot be perfectly recorded in a classical memory, even in principle. In the field of quantum information, this has led to the long-standing challenge of how to achieve a high-fidelity transfer of an independently prepared quantum state of light onto an atomic quantum state. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a protocol for such a quantum memory based on atomic ensembles. Recording of an externally provided quantum state of light onto the atomic quantum memory is achieved with 70 per cent fidelity, significantly higher than the limit for classical recording. Quantum storage of light is achieved in three steps: first, interaction of the input pulse and an entangling field with spin-polarized caesium atoms; second, subsequent measurement of the transmitted light; and third, feedback onto the atoms using a radio-frequency magnetic pulse conditioned on the measurement result. The density of recorded states is 33 per cent higher than the best classical recording of light onto atoms, with a quantum memory lifetime of up to 4 milliseconds.     

Tiny 2D silicon quantum sheets:a brain photonic nanoagent for orthotopic glioma theranostics

We report that atomically thin two-dimensional silicon quantum sheets(2D Si QSs),prepared by a scal-able approach coupling chemical delithiation and cryo-assist...     

Controlling the dynamics of spontaneous emission from quantum dots by photonic crystals

Control of spontaneously emitted light lies at the heart of quantum optics. It is essential for diverse applications ranging from miniature lasers and light-emitting diodes, to single-photon sources for quantum information, and to solar energy harvesting. To explore such new quantum optics applications, a suitably tailored dielectric environment is required in which the vacuum fluctuations that control spontaneous emission can be manipulated. Photonic crystals provide such an environment: they strongly modify the vacuum fluctuations, causing the decay of emitted light to be accelerated or slowed down, to reveal unusual statistics, or to be completely inhibited in the ideal case of a photonic bandgap. Here we study spontaneous emission from semiconductor quantum dots embedded in inverse opal photonic crystals. We show that the spectral distribution and time-dependent decay of light emitted from excitons confined in the quantum dots are controlled by the host photonic crystal. Modified emission is observed over large frequency bandwidths of 10%, orders of magnitude larger than reported for resonant optical microcavities. Both inhibited and enhanced decay rates are observed depending on the optical emission frequency, and they are controlled by the crystals' lattice parameter. Our experimental results provide a basis for all-solid-state dynamic control of optical quantum systems.     

两非等同纠缠原子与单模光场相互作用系统的纠缠特性

研究了在考虑腔场有能量损耗、原子有自发辐射时,两非等同纠缠原子与单模腔场相互作用过程中两原子之间的纠缠特性。结果表明;两纠缠原子的纠缠特性与两原子初态、腔场耗散系数k、原子的自发辐射率Γ及两原子与腔、场的耦合系数g1g2有一定的联系。     

Squeezing and entanglement in a Bose-Einstein condensate

Entanglement, a key feature of quantum mechanics, is a resource that allows the improvement of precision measurements beyond the conventional bound attainable by classical means. This results in the standard quantum limit, which is reached in today's best available sensors of various quantities such as time and position. Many of these sensors are interferometers in which the standard quantum limit can be overcome by using quantum-entangled states (in particular spin squeezed states) at the two input ports. Bose-Einstein condensates of ultracold atoms are considered good candidates to provide such states involving a large number of particles. Here we demonstrate spin squeezed states suitable for atomic interferometry by splitting a condensate into a few parts using a lattice potential. Site-resolved detection of the atoms allows the measurement of the atom number difference and relative phase, which are conjugate variables. The observed fluctuations imply entanglement between the particles, a resource that would allow a precision gain of 3.8 dB over the standard quantum limit for interferometric measurements.     

含双负介质一维光子晶体的量子阱结构研究

采用传输矩阵法研究一维光子晶体(AB)m(ACABACA)n(BA)m的透射谱,结果发现:无论C层为双正介质还是含双负介质,在归一化频率1.0ω/ω0处均构成对称分布的光子晶体量子阱结构,并在光量子阱透射谱的相应频率位置出现对称分布的共振透射峰,呈现明显的量子化效应.当C层为双正介质时,透射峰数目等于n+1且位置可调;当C层为双负介质时,出现数目与n的奇偶性相关的透射峰.     

Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state

The simple mechanical oscillator, canonically consisting of a coupled mass-spring system, is used in a wide variety of sensitive measurements, including the detection of weak forces and small masses. On the one hand, a classical oscillator has a well-defined amplitude of motion; a quantum oscillator, on the other hand, has a lowest-energy state, or ground state, with a finite-amplitude uncertainty corresponding to zero-point motion. On the macroscopic scale of our everyday experience, owing to interactions with its highly fluctuating thermal environment a mechanical oscillator is filled with many energy quanta and its quantum nature is all but hidden. Recently, in experiments performed at temperatures of a few hundredths of a kelvin, engineered nanomechanical resonators coupled to electrical circuits have been measured to be oscillating in their quantum ground state. These experiments, in addition to providing a glimpse into the underlying quantum behaviour of mesoscopic systems consisting of billions of atoms, represent the initial steps towards the use of mechanical devices as tools for quantum metrology or as a means of coupling hybrid quantum systems. Here we report the development of a coupled, nanoscale optical and mechanical resonator formed in a silicon microchip, in which radiation pressure from a laser is used to cool the mechanical motion down to its quantum ground state (reaching an average phonon occupancy number of 0.85 ± 0.08). This cooling is realized at an environmental temperature of 20?K, roughly one thousand times larger than in previous experiments and paves the way for optical control of mesoscale mechanical oscillators in the quantum regime.