Observation of the purely quantum mechanical effects of quasi-classical states is of utmost importance since these states are realistic sources of radiation and do not have any shortage in photon numbers. Therefore, they do not face the scalability problem as much as other single-photon sources do, which makes them much more robust against photon loss. Moreover, these states define the standard quantum limit. Hence, finding their quantum signature hints to the highest possible single-photon rate. In this manuscript, we attempt to demonstrate this idea theoretically using known dynamics and then present supporting experimental results. Through our experiment, we realize two-photon bunching from the transfer of quantum information using such states with the projection of orbital angular momentum from a continuous wave source. Our work is a step forward towards a more diverse and practical use of quasi-classical states in the domain of quantum optics and quantum information.
Observation of the purely quantum mechanical effects of quasi-classical states is of utmost importance since these states are realistic sources of radiation and do not have any shortage in photon numbers. Therefore, they do not face the scalability problem as much as other single-photon sources do, which makes them much more robust against photon loss. Moreover, these states define the standard quantum limit. Hence, finding their quantum signature hints to the highest possible single-photon rate. In this manuscript, we attempt to demonstrate this idea theoretically using known dynamics and then present supporting experimental results. Through our experiment, we realize two-photon bunching from the transfer of quantum information using such states with the projection of orbital angular momentum from a continuous wave source. Our work is a step forward towards a more diverse and practical use of quasi-classical states in the domain of quantum optics and quantum information.
The observation of the quantum nature of quasi-classical states is of utmost importance since these states are realistic sources of radiation and do not have any shortage in photon numbers. Therefore, they do not face the scalability problem as much as single-photon sources do, which makes them much more robust against photon loss. The physical dynamics of these states predict that the quantum aspects of a continuous source can be observed in the weak limit. Yet, since these states are superposition of different particle states of radiation, we need post-selection to achieve this result. Practically, even after the post-selection, this high photon rate has not been observed. In this manuscript, we attempt to demonstrate that quasi-classical states supplemented with orbital angular momentum (OAM) can deliver a significant high photon rate in producing quantum signature alluding to this fact that OAM is indeed an intrinsic property of light at the quantum level as well. Through our experiment, we realize two-photon bunching with the projection of OAM from a continuous wave source. We observe that this approach can produce the result from a single-photon source with the high accuracy after the post-selection. In fact, since there is no interaction with matter, the post-selected photon rate from this approach can be considered as an upper bound for the single-photon generation based on the input power. This work is a step forward toward a more diverse and practical use of quasi-classical states in the domain of quantum optics and quantum information.
Over the last sixty years, classical information theory has revolutionized the understanding of the nature of information, and how it can be quantified and manipulated. Quantum information processing extends these lessons to quantum systems, where the properties of intrinsic uncertainty and entanglement fundamentally defy classical explanation. This growing field has many potential applications, including computing, cryptography, communication, and metrology. As inherently mobile quantum particles, photons are likely to play an important role in any mature large-scale quantum information processing system. However, the available methods for producing and detecting complex multi-photon states place practical limits on the feasibility of sophisticated optical quantum information processing experiments. In a typical quantum information protocol, a source first produces an interesting or useful quantum state (or set of states), perhaps involving superposition or entanglement. Then, some manipulations are performed on this state, perhaps involving quantum logic gates which further manipulate or entangle the intial state. Finally, the state must be detected, obtaining some desired measurement result, e.g., for secure communication or computationally efficient factoring. The work presented here concerns the first and last stages of this process as they relate to photons: sources and detectors. Our work on sources is based on the need for optimized non-classical states of light delivered at high rates, particularly of single photons in a pure quantum state. We seek to better understand the properties of spontaneous parameteric downconversion (SPDC) sources of photon pairs, and in doing so, produce such an optimized source. We report an SPDC source which produces pure heralded single photons with little or no spectral filtering, allowing a significant rate enhancement. Our work on detectors is based on the need to reliably measure single-photon states. We have focused on optimizing the detection efficiency of visible light photon counters (VLPCs), a single-photon detection technology that is also capable of resolving photon number states. We report a record-breaking quantum efficiency of 91 +/- 3% observed with our detection system. Both sources and detectors are independently interesting physical systems worthy of study, but together they promise to enable entire new classes and applications of information based on quantum mechanics.
Non-classical light is both easily encoded with quantum information and robust against decoherence, making it a key resource that enables many quantum information applications including quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum metrology. We present a wide range of experimental and theoretical research toward the generation, detection, characterization, and storage of non-classical states of light with an eye toward quantum information applications. To provide a basis for the rest of the work, we begin by discussing theoretically the role of photon number statistics in optical quantum information and the use of second-order optical coherence to characterize non-classical light. Building on that, we present an original tool for the difficult problem of reconstructing the underlying mode distribution of multi-mode optical fields using simple measurements of higher-order optical coherence. We then move on to the problem of generating and storing single photons. We do this in a solid-state medium, a rare-earth ion-doped crystal, with a long-lived spin transition ideal for storing quantum information. We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this concept by showing correlations between the optical fields that herald storage and retrieval of collective excitations. This scheme can be used for the two important and distinct applications of generating single photons on-demand and storing quantum information and entanglement. The detection of non-classical light is a task as important as its generation. To this end, we study detectors with near unity detection efficiency and photon number resolution for use in quantum-enabled metrology. We use such a detector to experimentally demonstrate compression of spatial fringes and investigate the possibility of improving measurement resolution with classical and non-classical light. Finally, we report a set of experiments using photon number statistics to characterize classical and non-classical light. We measure suppression of unwanted multi-photon emission in a heralded single photon source based on four-wave mixing in microstructure optical fiber. And we, for the first time, experimentally demonstrate reconstruction of multi-mode classical and non-classical light from measured photon number statistics.
One-photon sources are important elements in quantum optics. The archetypal example is an atom raised to an excited state at time t = 0, then de-exciting with emission of a single photon. The development of this kind of source depends on progress with experimental techniques, e.g. the possibility of isolating a single atom, molecule or quantum well. In this complement, we present the formalism for describing the corresponding radiation, and use it to discuss some spectacular experiments which bring out properties quite incompatible with a classical description of the electromagnetic field. We begin in Section 5B.2 by describing the anti-correlation between detections on either side of a semi-reflecting mirror, establishing the quantitative difference with a classical field. Section 5B.3 discusses a quantum optical effect that was only demonstrated at the beginning of the twenty-first century, namely the quantum coalescence of two one-photon wave packets on a semi-reflecting mirror, which occurs even when the two photons were emitted by independent atoms. An analogous effect, the Hong–Hou–Mandel effect, is discussed in Chapter 7. These effects exemplify quantum interference involving two photons. Finally, Section 5B.4 is concerned with quantum calculations involving quasi-classical states. As we now know, this leads to results that are identical to the predictions of semi-classical theory.
In this thesis we have focused on the study of various systems which are presently widely studied in different areas of quantum optics and quantum information sciences. These, for example, include the coupled system of photonic waveguides which are known to be highly efficient in manipulating the flow of light. The Hamiltonian describing the evolution of field mode in coupled waveguides is effectively identical to the well-known tight binding Hamiltonian used in solid state physics. The advantage of waveguide system is the possibility to control various interactions by design and their low decoherence rate. The excellent stability offered by coupled waveguides has led to the observation of many key coherent effects such as quantum walk, Bloch oscillation, and discrete Talbot effect. For example, Bloch oscillations have been investigated in coupled waveguides using coherent beam of light. We wanted to inquire whether coherent phenomena such as Bloch oscillations can be possible with incoherent single photon sources. We discovered that Bloch oscillations are indeed possible with single photons provided we prepare single photons in a W state. Moreover, coupled waveguides also find applications in the field of quantum information processing. Since entanglement plays a prominent role in all these applications, it is important to understand the entanglement dynamics in these structures. We considered the case of squeezed input in one of the waveguide and showed that one can generate entanglement between the waveguide modes. We further continued our work on the entanglement generation in coupled waveguides by incorporating the effect of loss in the waveguide structure for the squeezed and photon number input states. We considered relevant experimental parameters and showed that waveguide structures are reasonably robust against the effect of loss. Another system which has attracted a great deal of interest is the optomechanical system. We consider an optomechanical system where an optical cavity mode is coupled to the square of the position of a mechanical oscillator. The optomechanical system can then be regarded as a quantum optical spring, i.e., a spring whose spring constant depends on the quantum state of another system. In particular, we consider the situation where the field inside the cavity is in a coherent state and the oscillator is prepared in its ground state. The quantized nature of the field produces new features in the optomechanical system.
Schemes for the communication and registration of optical angular momentum depend on the fidelity of transmission between optical system components. It is known that electron spin can be faithfully relayed between exciton states in quantum dots; it has also been shown by several theoretical and experimental studies that the use of beams conveying orbital angular momentum can significantly extend the density and efficiency of such information transfer. However, it remains unclear to what extent the operation of such a concept at the single photon level is practicable—especially where this involves optical propagation through a material system, in which forward scattering events can intervene. The possibility of transmitting and decoding angular momentum over nanoscale distances itself raises other important issues associated with near-field interrogation. This paper provides a framework to address these and related issues. A quantum electrodynamical representation is constructed and used to pursue the consequences of individual photons, from a Laguerre–Gaussian beam, undergoing single and multiple scattering events in the course of propagation. In this context, issues concerning orbital angular momentum conservation, and its possible compromise, are tackled by identifying the relevant components of the electromagnetic scattering and coupling tensors, using an irreducible Cartesian basis. The physical interpretation broadly supports the fidelity of quantum information transmission, but it also identifies potential limitations of principle.