Modern quantum technologies in the fields of quantum computing, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology require the creation and control of large ensembles of entangled particles. In ultracold ensembles of neutral atoms, nonclassical states have been generated with mutual entanglement among thousands of particles. The entanglement generation relies on the fundamental particle-exchange symmetry in ensembles of identical particles, which lacks the standard notion of entanglement between clearly definable subsystems. Here, we present the generation of entanglement between two spatially separated clouds by splitting an ensemble of ultracold identical particles prepared in a twin Fock state. Because the clouds can be addressed individually, our experiments open a path to exploit the available entangled states of indistinguishable particles for quantum information applications.
Modern quantum technologies in the fields of quantum computing, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology require the creation and control of large ensembles of entangled particles. In ultracold ensembles of neutral atoms, nonclassical states have been generated with mutual entanglement among thousands of particles. The entanglement generation relies on the fundamental particle-exchange symmetry in ensembles of identical particles, which lacks the standard notion of entanglement between clearly definable subsystems. Here, we present the generation of entanglement between two spatially separated clouds by splitting an ensemble of ultracold identical particles prepared in a twin Fock state. Because the clouds can be addressed individually, our experiments open a path to exploit the available entangled states of indistinguishable particles for quantum information applications.
Multiparticle entangled states, essential ingredients for modern quantum technologies, are routinely generated in experiments of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). However, the entanglement in ultracold interacting Fermi gases has not been yet exploited. In this work, by using an ansatz of composite bosons, we show that many-particle entanglement between two fermionic ensembles localized in spatially separated modes can be generated by splitting an ultracold interacting Fermi gas in the (molecular) BEC regime. This entanglement relies on the fundamental fermion exchange symmetry of molecular constituents and might be used for implementing quantum applications in oncoming experiments. We show that the generated fermionic ensembles can be highly entangled and exhibit nonlocal quantum correlations. Entanglement-induced suppression of fluctuations in the single-fermion spectral density of the ultracold fermionic gas is also observed.
Identical particles and entanglement are both fundamental components of quantum mechanics. However, when identical particles are condensed in a single spatial mode, the standard notions of entanglement, based on clearly identifiable subsystems, break down. This has led many to conclude that such systems have limited value for quantum information tasks, compared to distinguishable particle systems. To the contrary, we show that any entanglement formally appearing amongst the identical particles, including entanglement due purely to symmetrization, can be extracted into an entangled state of independent modes, which can then be applied to any task. In fact, the entanglement of the mode system is in one-to-one correspondence with the entanglement between the inaccessible identical particles. This settles the long-standing debate about the resource capabilities of such states, in particular spin-squeezed states of Bose-Einstein condensates, while also revealing a new perspective on how and when entanglement is generated in passive optical networks. Our results thus reveal new fundamental connections between entanglement, squeezing, and indistinguishability.
The predictions of quantum mechanics often differ from our everyday experiences. In the classical case, the state of a system can be predicted precisely, assuming the exact knowledge of all parameters. This is not possible in quantum mechanics. For example, the spin of one particle can be simultaneously in two different states, until a measurement defines the actual state. If multiple particles are in such superposition states, their spins can be coupled with each other such that the measurement of one particle changes the physical state of the other particles. This coupling effect is a fundamental part of quantum mechanics and is called entanglement. It is a central requirement for applications in the fields of quantum communication, quantum cryptography and quantum computing. One possibility to create entanglement are spin-changing collisions in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate. These collisions are described by a nonlinear process, which creates non-classical correlations between all atoms of the Bose-Einstein condensate. Within this thesis, 87Rb spinor Bose-Einstein condensates are used to demonstrate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement by the generation and analysis of a two-mode entangled state in spin space [A1]. These states are applied in an interferometric measurement with a resolution of 2.05+0.34 -0.37 dB beyond the standard quantum limit [A2]. Depending on the dynamics, the process can also be analogous to the dynamical Casimir effect [A3]. The entanglement between the particles in these publications is strongly connected with their indistinguishability. It is thus possible to make the particles distinguishable again and recover the entanglement between the now separated particles? This question is approached by cutting an entangled state of indistinguishable particles into two spatially separated atomic modes - creating a two-mode entangled state in real space. As shown in Ref. [A4], the entanglement between the two separated clouds of a Bose-Einstein condensate can be measured directly. In the future, the created state can be employed for a test of quantum nonlocality.
Spin changing collisions in alkaline Bose-Einstein condensates can be employed to generate highly entangled atomic quantum states. Here, we will report on the generation of two classes of entangled states. Firstly, we demonstrate the generation of two-mode squeezed vacuum states and record their characteristic quadrature correlations by atomic homodyning. We prove that the correlations fulfill Reid’s criterion [1] for continuous-variable Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement. The homodyne measurements allow for a full tomographic reconstruction, yielding a two-mode squeezed state with a 78% fidelity. The created state can be directly applied to atom interferometry, as is exemplified by an atomic clock measurement beyond the Standard Quantum Limit. Secondly, we demonstrate entanglement between two spatially separated atomic modes. The entangled state is obtained by spatially splitting a Twin Fock state of indistinguishable atoms along a line of zero density. This structure of two separated atomic modes is obtained by utilizing an excited trap mode. The non-classical correlations between these atomic modes are verified by applying a novel entanglement criterion especially sensitive for our case. The method opens a path to exploit the recent success in the creation of many-particle entanglement in ultracold atoms for the field of quantum information, where individually addressable subsystems are required. Finally, we will show how the measurement protocol can be extended to perform a Bell test of quantum nonlocality. [1] M. Reid, Phys. Rev. A 40, 913-923 (1989)
Quantum technologies exploit entanglement to revolutionize computing, measurement, and communication. This has stimulated the research in different areas of physics to engineer and manipulate fragile many-particle entangled states. Progress has been particularly rapid for atoms. Thanks to the large and tunable nonlinearities and the well developed techniques for trapping, controlling and counting, many groundbreaking experiments have demonstrated the generation of entangled states of trapped ions, cold and ultracold gases of neutral atoms. Moreover, atoms can couple strongly to external forces and light fields, which makes them ideal for ultra-precise sensing and time keeping. All these factors call for generating non-classical atomic states designed for phase estimation in atomic clocks and atom interferometers, exploiting many-body entanglement to increase the sensitivity of precision measurements. The goal of this article is to review and illustrate successful theoretical proposals and experiments with atomic ensembles that have demonstrated many-particle entanglement and quantum-enhanced metrology.
A key resource for distributed quantum-enhanced protocols is entanglement between spatially separated modes. However, the robust generation and detection of entanglement between spatially separated regions of an ultracold atomic system remain a challenge. We used spin mixing in a tightly confined Bose-Einstein condensate to generate an entangled state of indistinguishable particles in a single spatial mode. We show experimentally that this entanglement can be spatially distributed by self-similar expansion of the atomic cloud. We used spatially resolved spin read-out to reveal a particularly strong form of quantum correlations known as Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering between distinct parts of the expanded cloud. Based on the strength of EPR steering, we constructed a witness, which confirmed genuine 5-partite entanglement.