Quantum information processing with atoms and photons

Quantum information processors exploit the quantum features of superposition and entanglement for applications not possible in classical devices, offering the potential for significant improvements in the communication and processing of information. Experimental realization of large-scale quantum information processors remains a long-term vision, as the required nearly pure quantum behaviour is observed only in exotic hardware such as individual laser-cooled atoms and isolated photons. But recent theoretical and experimental advances suggest that cold atoms and individual photons may lead the way towards bigger and better quantum information processors, effectively building mesoscopic versions of 'Schr?dinger's cat' from the bottom up.     

Quantum secure direct communication and authentication protocol with single photons

A quantum secure direct communication and authentication protocol is proposed by using single photons. An information transmission is completed by sending photons once in quantum channel, which improves the efficiency without losing the security. The protocol encodes identity-string of the receiver as single photons sequence, which acts as detection sequence and implements authentication. Before secret message is encoded as single photons sequence, it is encrypted with identity-string of the sender by using XOR operation, which defends quantum teleportation attack efficiently. The base identity-strings of the sender and the re- ceiver are reused unconditionally secure even in noisy channel. Compared with the protocol proposed by Wang et al. （Phys Lett A, 2006, 358： 256--258）, the protocol in this study sends photons once in one transmission and defends most attacks including ＇man-in-the-middle＇ attack and quantum teleportation attack efficiently.     

Quantum nature of a strongly coupled single quantum dot-cavity system

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) studies the interaction between a quantum emitter and a single radiation-field mode. When an atom is strongly coupled to a cavity mode, it is possible to realize important quantum information processing tasks, such as controlled coherent coupling and entanglement of distinguishable quantum systems. Realizing these tasks in the solid state is clearly desirable, and coupling semiconductor self-assembled quantum dots to monolithic optical cavities is a promising route to this end. However, validating the efficacy of quantum dots in quantum information applications requires confirmation of the quantum nature of the quantum-dot-cavity system in the strong-coupling regime. Here we find such confirmation by observing quantum correlations in photoluminescence from a photonic crystal nanocavity interacting with one, and only one, quantum dot located precisely at the cavity electric field maximum. When off-resonance, photon emission from the cavity mode and quantum-dot excitons is anticorrelated at the level of single quanta, proving that the mode is driven solely by the quantum dot despite an energy mismatch between cavity and excitons. When tuned to resonance, the exciton and cavity enter the strong-coupling regime of cavity QED and the quantum-dot exciton lifetime reduces by a factor of 145. The generated photon stream becomes antibunched, proving that the strongly coupled exciton/photon system is in the quantum regime. Our observations unequivocally show that quantum information tasks are achievable in solid-state cavity QED.     

Quantum correlation among photons from a single quantum dot at room temperature

Maxwell's equations successfully describe the statistical properties of fluorescence from an ensemble of atoms or semiconductors in one or more dimensions. But quantization of the radiation field is required to explain the correlations of light generated by a single two-level quantum emitter, such as an atom, ion or single molecule. The observation of photon antibunching in resonance fluorescence from a single atom unequivocally demonstrated the non-classical nature of radiation. Here we report the experimental observation of photon antibunching from an artificial system--a single cadmium selenide quantum dot at room temperature. Apart from providing direct evidence for a solid-state non-classical light source, this result proves that a single quantum dot acts like an artificial atom, with a discrete anharmonic spectrum. In contrast, we find the photon-emission events from a cluster of several dots to be uncorrelated.     

Trapping an atom with single photons

The creation of a photon-atom bound state was first envisaged for the case of an atom in a long-lived excited state inside a high-quality microwave cavity. In practice, however, light forces in the microwave domain are insufficient to support an atom against gravity. Although optical photons can provide forces of the required magnitude, atomic decay rates and cavity losses are larger too, and so the atom-cavity system must be continually excited by an external laser. Such an approach also permits continuous observation of the atom's position, by monitoring the light transmitted through the cavity. The dual role of photons in this system distinguishes it from other single-atom experiments such as those using magneto-optical traps, ion traps or a far-off-resonance optical trap. Here we report high-finesse optical cavity experiments in which the change in transmission induced by a single slow atom approaching the cavity triggers an external feedback switch which traps the atom in a light field containing about one photon on average. The oscillatory motion of the trapped atom induces oscillations in the transmitted light intensity; we attribute periodic structure in intensity-correlation-function data to 'long-distance' flights of the atom between different anti-nodes of the standing-wave in the cavity. The system should facilitate investigations of the dynamics of single quantum objects and may find future applications in quantum information processing.     

大失谐下纠缠原子与场作用过程中的光场特性

研究在大失谐条件下两全同二能级纠缠原子与相干态光场相互作用过程中系统的光场特性,采用时间演化算符和数值计算方法讨论了系统参数对系统光场特性的影响。研究表明:单模相干光场和两全同二能级纠缠原子在大失谐作用条件下,无论如何调整系统参数,都无法使光场压缩。     

Quantum information and many body physics with cold atoms

We review our recent theoretical advances in quantum information and many body physics with cold atoms in various external potential, such as harmonic potential, kagome optical lattice, triangular optical lattice, and honeycomb lattice. The many body physics of cold atom in harmonic potential is investigated in the frame of mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Then the quantum phase transition and strongly correlated effect of cold atoms in triangular optical lattice, and the interacting Dirac fermions on honeycomb lattice, are investigated by using cluster dynamical mean-field theory and continuous time quantum Monte Carlo method. We also study the quantum spin Hall effect in the kagome optical lattice.     

玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体与双模光场相互作用中光场的量子特性

目的 研究玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体与双模光场相互作用中光场的量子特性.方法 在波戈留波夫近似下,求解系统的动力学方程.结果 双模光场与波色-爱因斯坦凝聚体相互作用过程中,光场的两正交分量交替呈现周期性压缩现象,光子是聚束的.结论 模间相关恒为非经典相关.     

Quantum coherence and entanglement with ultracold atoms in optical lattices

At nanokelvin temperatures, ultracold quantum gases can be stored in optical lattices, which are arrays of microscopic trapping potentials formed by laser light. Such large arrays of atoms provide opportunities for investigating quantum coherence and generating large-scale entanglement, ultimately leading to quantum information processing in these artificial crystal structures. These arrays can also function as versatile model systems for the study of strongly interacting many-body systems on a lattice.     

具强非线性源的多孔介质方程的Cauchy问题

主要研究了方程ut-Δum=t-σuq的Cauchy问题,其中初值是Radon测度。当θ[q-1-(1-σ)(m-1)]<2(1-σ)时,得到了解的存在性。同时证明了这一假设条件对解的存在性来说是最优的。     

T-C模型中纠缠原子与相干态光场相互作用的光学效应

研究一对纠缠的二能级原子与单模相干态光场的相互作用,得出光子之间关联函数Q参数的演化规律.讨论原子一场的耦合系数g、初始相干光场强度n~-、原子间的耦合系数ε及纠缠因子对光场所呈现出的聚束效应和反聚束效应的影响.     

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。     

压缩真空场与V-型三能级原子作用过程中光场的压缩效应

研究了V-型量子拍频三能级原子与单模压缩真空场作用过程中系统的动力学行为,运用数值方法讨论了系统参数对系统光场压缩特性的影响。研究表明:单模压缩真空场的初始压缩因子和V-型三能级原子的相对失谐量的大小对系统光场的压缩特性有很大的影响,通过选择合适的系统参数,光场可以被完全压缩。     

大失谐条件下纠缠原子与光场相互作用过程中的原子特性

文章研究了在大失谐条件下两全同二能级纠缠原子与相干态光场相互作用过程中系统的原子特性,采用时间演化算符和数值计算方法讨论了系统参数对系统原子特性的影响。研究表明,单模相干光场和两全同二能级纠缠原子在大失谐作用条件下,无论如何调整系统参数,都无法使原子偶极压缩。     

Continuous generation of single photons with controlled waveform in an ion-trap cavity system

The controlled production of single photons is of fundamental and practical interest; they represent the lowest excited quantum states of the radiation field, and have applications in quantum cryptography and quantum information processing. Common approaches use the fluorescence of single ions, single molecules, colour centres and semiconductor quantum dots. However, the lack of control over such irreversible emission processes precludes the use of these sources in applications (such as quantum networks) that require coherent exchange of quantum states between atoms and photons. The necessary control may be achieved in principle in cavity quantum electrodynamics. Although this approach has been used for the production of single photons from atoms, such experiments are compromised by limited trapping times, fluctuating atom-field coupling and multi-atom effects. Here we demonstrate a single-photon source based on a strongly localized single ion in an optical cavity. The ion is optimally coupled to a well-defined field mode, resulting in the generation of single-photon pulses with precisely defined shape and timing. We have confirmed the suppression of two-photon events up to the limit imposed by fluctuations in the rate of detector dark counts. The stream of emitted photons is uninterrupted over the storage time of the ion, as demonstrated by a measurement of photon correlations over 90 min.     

Trapping and emission of photons by a single defect in a photonic bandgap structure

By introducing artificial defects and/or light-emitters into photonic bandgap structures, it should be possible to manipulate photons. For example, it has been predicted that strong localization (or trapping) of photons should occur in structures with single defects, and that the propagation of photons should be controllable using arrays of defects. But there has been little experimental progress in this regard, with the exception of a laser based on a single-defect photonic crystal. Here we demonstrate photon trapping by a single defect that has been created artificially inside a two-dimensional photonic bandgap structure. Photons propagating through a linear waveguide are trapped by the defect, which then emits them to free space. We envisage that this phenomenon may be used in ultra-small optical devices whose function is to selectively drop (or add) photons with various energies from (or to) optical communication traffic. More generally, our work should facilitate the development of all-optical circuits incorporating photonic bandgap waveguides and resonators.