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arXiv:2011.11902

Obtaining entangled photons from fully mixed states using beam splitters

Hari Krishnan S. V., Shubhrangshu Dasgupta

Published Nov 24, 2020• 1 citation
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Abstract

Preparation of entangled states of photons are useful for quantum computing and communication. In this paper, we present a simplistic protocol of entanglement generation using beam splitters with suitable reflectivity. The photons in an initial state with fully classical probability distribution pass through an optical network, made up of sequential beam splitters and are prepared in maximally entangled states. We also present the detailed theoretical analysis of entangled state generation, for an arbitrary number of photons, fed through the input ports of the beam splitters with equal probability.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2011.11902

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Preparation of entangled states of photons are useful for quantum computing and communication. In this paper, we present a simplistic protocol of entanglement generation using beam splitters with suitable reflectivity. The photons in an initial state with fully classical probability distribution pass through an optical network, made up of sequential beam splitters and are prepared in maximally entangled states. We also present the detailed theoretical analysis of entangled state generation, for an arbitrary number of photons, fed through the input ports of the beam splitters with equal probability.
Abstract Multipartite entanglement plays a central role in optical quantum technologies. One way to entangle two photons is to prepare them in orthogonal internal states, for example, in two polarisations, and then send them through a balanced beam splitter. Post-selecting on the cases where there is one photon in each output port results in a maximally entangled state. This idea can be extended to schemes for the post-selected generation of larger entangled states. Typically, switching between different types of entangled states requires different arrangements of beam splitters and so a new experimental setup. Here, we demonstrate a simple and versatile scheme to generate different types of genuine tripartite entangled states with only one experimental setup. We send three photons through a three-port splitter and vary their internal states before post-selecting on certain output distributions. This results in the generation of tripartite W, G and GHZ states. We obtain fidelities of up to ( 87.3 ± 1.1 ) % with regard to the respective ideal states, confirming a successful generation of genuine tripartite entanglement.
Abstract Beam splitters are routinely used for generating entanglement. Their entangling properties have been studied extensively, with nonclassicality of the input states a prerequisite for entanglement at the output. Here we quantify the amount of entanglement generated by weakly-reflecting beam splitters, and look for nonclassical states that are not entangled by general beam splitters. We extend the known class of results to mixed and non-Gaussian states, finding that inputting highly nonclassical combinations of unpolarized states that are squeezed and displaced onto a beam splitter can still yield separable output states. This is important in light of the challenge of characterizing mixed state entanglement. We further identify a parallel between SU(2) unpolarized states and the two-mode vacuum. Our result is crucial for understanding the generation of modal entanglement by beam splitters.
In this work, we present a comprehensive analytical study of a lossless quantum beam splitter (BS) with transmission coefficient T and reflection coefficient R. Using the unitary operator representation and binomial expansion, we derive the exact probability distribution P_k for detecting k photons in one output port when the input ports are prepared in Fock states |N>_0 |M>_1. The balanced configuration R = T = 1/2 and N = M is examined in detail: we prove that destructive quantum interference suppresses all odd photon numbers at the outputs, leaving only even photon counts. The special case N = M = 1 reproduces the famous Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) dip with P_1 = 0. Beyond photon statistics, we demonstrate that the beam splitter functions as a deterministic, tunable source of photon-number entanglement. By tracing over one output mode, we construct the reduced density matrix rho_2 and compute the von Neumann entropy S = - sum_k P_k log2 P_k, a direct measure of entanglement between the two output ports. For the balanced case with N = M = 1, we obtain S = 1 ebit, i.e., maximal Bell-state entanglement. For larger equal photon numbers, the entropy increases monotonically. Our results transform the passive beam splitter into a deterministic source of photon-number entanglement, with direct applications in optical quantum computing, interferometry, and quantum information processing. Numerical three-dimensional plots of the probability distribution are provided, and all derivations are supported by rigorous algebra and a full appendix.
Quantum optics routinely uses beam splitters to generate entanglement, including in pioneering experiments conducted by Hanbury-Brown and Twiss and Hong, Ou, and Mandel. The quantum interference at beam splitters lies at the heart of what makes boson sampling hard to emulate by classical computers and is a vital component of quantum computation with light. Yet, despite overwhelming positive evidence, the conjecture that beam splitters with equal reflection and transmission probabilities generate the most entanglement for any state interfered with the vacuum has remained unproven for almost two decades [Asbóth et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 173602 (2005)]. We prove this conjecture for ubiquitous entanglement monotones including mixed-state generalizations of entanglement entropy and purity by uncovering monotonicity and convexity with respect to photon loss for these monotones. At the same time, we highlight an infinite class of lesser-used monotones for which the conjecture fails. Because beam splitters are so fundamental, our results yield numerous corollaries for quantum optics, including proof of a recent conjecture for the evolution of a measure of quantumness through loss and a more efficient computational strategy for optimizing entanglement generation over linear optics. These results justify the value of seeking mathematical rigour behind commonly accepted facts and the danger of trusting them unconditionally.
In the two-cascade-placed beam splitter system, controllable entangled states can be conditionally generated with one squeezed light and two coherent lights. By measuring one photon in one of three output ports, an entangled quantum state can be generated in the remaining two ports. Using the Schmidt decomposition technique, we calculate the degree of entanglement, and maximize the degree of entanglement by adjusting the three input beams and the transmittances of the two beam splitters. The degree of entanglement can be easily adjusted by changing the relative phase angle of the input states.
We propose a scheme for purification of a general mixed entangled state. In this scheme, we start from a large number of general mixed entangled states and end up, after local operation and classical communication, with a smaller number of Bell diagonal states with higher entanglement. In particular, the scheme can purify one maximally entangled state from two entangled pairs prepared in a class of mixed entangled state. Furthermore we propose a linear optical implementation of the present scheme with polarization beam splitters and photon detectors.