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arXiv:2504.19160 · Light Science & Applications

Long-range quantum entanglement in dielectric mu-near-zero metamaterials

Olivia Mello, Larissa Vertchenko, Seth Nelson, Adrien Debacq, Durdu Ö. Güney, Eric Mazur, Michaël Lobet

Published Sep 3, 2025• 4 citations
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Abstract

Abstract Entanglement is paramount in quantum information processing. Many quantum systems suffer from spatial decoherence in distances over a wavelength and cannot be sustained over short time periods due to dissipation. However, long range solutions are required for the development of quantum information processing on chip. Photonic reservoirs mediating the interactions between qubits and their environment are suggested. Recent research takes advantage of extended wavelength inside near-zero refractive index media to solve the long-range problem along with less sensitivity on the position of quantum emitters. However, those recent proposals use plasmonic epsilon near-zero waveguides that are intrinsically lossy. Here, we propose a fully dielectric platform, compatible with the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) diamond centers on-chip technology, to drastically improve the range of entanglement over 17 free-space wavelengths, or approximatively 12.5 µm, using mu near-zero metamaterials. We evaluate transient and steady state concurrence demonstrating an order of magnitude enhancement compared to previous works. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time that such a long distance is reported using this strategy. Moreover, value of the zero time delay second order correlation function $${g}_{12}^{(2)}(0)$$ g 12 ( 2 ) ( 0 ) are provided, showing antibunching signature correlated with a high degree of concurrence.

DOI
10.1038/s41377-025-01994-9

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Abstract Entanglement is paramount in quantum information processing. Many quantum systems suffer from spatial decoherence in distances over a wavelength and cannot be sustained over short time periods due to dissipation. However, long range solutions are required for the development of quantum information processing on chip. Photonic reservoirs mediating the interactions between qubits and their environment are suggested. Recent research takes advantage of extended wavelength inside near-zero refractive index media to solve the long-range problem along with less sensitivity on the position of quantum emitters. However, those recent proposals use plasmonic epsilon near-zero waveguides that are intrinsically lossy. Here, we propose a fully dielectric platform, compatible with the Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) diamond centers on-chip technology, to drastically improve the range of entanglement over 17 free-space wavelengths, or approximatively 12.5 µm, using mu near-zero metamaterials. We evaluate transient and steady state concurrence demonstrating an order of magnitude enhancement compared to previous works. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time that such a long distance is reported using this strategy. Moreover, value of the zero time delay second order correlation function g12(2)(0){g}_{12}^{(2)}(0)g12(2)​(0) g 12 ( 2 ) ( 0 ) are provided, showing antibunching signature correlated with a high degree of concurrence.
Multi-qubit entanglement is of paramount importance to perform truly secure quantum optical communication operations. In this work, we present efficient long-range entanglement mediated by plasmonic waveguides operating at their cut-off frequency, where they exhibit an effective epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) response. Only the excited ENZ mode at plasmonic waveguides has a strong and homogeneous electric field distribution compared to different modes excited at groove and rod waveguides, resulting in an efficient two- and multi-qubit entanglement that can persist over extended time periods and long distances. Efficient multipartite entanglement from three equidistantly arranged two-level quantum emitters (qubits) inside the ENZ waveguide is also demonstrated by using three different multi-qubit entanglement criterions, i.e., pairwise concurrence, negativity, and genuine multipartite entanglement. The findings of this work stress the importance of ENZ plasmonic waveguides as an ideal nanophotonic platform to support efficient quantum optical effects.
The resonance energy transfer and entanglement between two-level quantum emitters are typically limited to sub-wavelength distances due to the inherently short-range nature of the dipole-dipole interactions. Moreover, the entanglement of quantum systems is hard to preserve for a long time period due to decoherence and dephasing mainly caused by radiative and nonradiative losses. In this work, we outperform the aforementioned limitations by presenting efficient long-range inter-emitter entanglement and large enhancement of resonance energy transfer between two optical qubits mediated by epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) and other plasmonic waveguide types, such as V-shaped grooves and cylindrical nanorods. More importantly, we explicitly demonstrate that the ENZ waveguide resonant energy transfer and entanglement performance drastically outperforms the other waveguide systems. Only the excited ENZ mode has an infinite phase velocity combined with a strong and homogeneous electric field distribution, which leads to a giant energy transfer and efficient entanglement independent of the emitters' separation distances and nanoscale positions in the ENZ nanowaveguide, an advantageous feature that can potentially accommodate multi-qubit entanglement. Moreover, the transient entanglement can be further improved and become almost independent of the detrimental decoherence effect when an optically active (gain) medium is embedded inside the ENZ waveguide. We also present that efficient steady-state entanglement can be achieved by using a coherent external pumping scheme. Finally, we report a practical way to detect the steady-state entanglement by computing the second-order correlation function. The presented findings stress the importance of plasmonic ENZ waveguides in the design of the envisioned on-chip quantum communication and information processing plasmonic nanodevices.
We theoretically and numerically demonstrate enhanced extended superradiance using a diamond epsilon near-zero (ENZ) metamaterial design. Due to the large spatial coherence in this metamaterial we experience an ultra-high superradiant decay rate enhancement over distances greater than 13 times the free-space wavelength for both two emitters and many-body configurations of emitters. We observe a power enhancement three orders of magnitude higher than an incoherent array of emitters in bulk diamond, corresponding to an N2N^2N2 scaling with the number of emitters characteristic of superradiance. With similar simulation and design methods, we numerically and analytically demonstrate highly robust, extended entanglement in diamond mu near-zero (MNZ) metamaterials by calculating the concurrence in this system. Robust entanglement is maintained for distances over 10 microns and for distances over 20 times larger in free space configurations and for extended timescales in transiently entangled systems. we apply these optical metamaterial systems to the the silicon vacancy center (SiV) in diamond as a candidate quantum emitter. By simulating the Hamiltonian of two Raman-tuned SiV centers and coupling it to a theoretical 1-D near zero refractive index (NZRI) waveguide with a Dirac-like dispersion, we observe enhanced superradiance via calculating the second order photon correlation function g(2)(τ)g^{(2)}(\tau)g(2)(τ) and observing signatures ultra-indistinguishable photons emitted from the superradiant system of 2 SiVs. We demonstrate the feasibility of these NZRI metamaterial designs by fabricating a planar epsilon and mu near-zero (EMNZ) metamaterial design of diamond pillars on single crystal bulk diamond. Additionally, we demonstrate fabrication of angle-etched suspended diamond ENZ waveguides. These are proof-of-concept fabrications for any potential experimental realizations in the future.
Multiqubit entanglement is extremely important to perform truly secure quantum optical communication and computing operations. However, the efficient generation of long-range entanglement over extended time periods between multiple qubits randomly distributed in a photonic system remains an outstanding challenge. This constraint is mainly due to the detrimental effects of decoherence and dephasing. To alleviate this issue, we present engineered epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) nanostructures that can maximize the coherence of light–matter interactions at room temperature. We investigate a practical ENZ plasmonic waveguide system, which simultaneously achieves multiqubit entanglement in elongated distances, extended time periods, and, even more importantly, independent of the emitters' positions. More specifically, we present efficient transient entanglement between three and four optical qubits mediated by ENZ with results that can be easily generalized to an arbitrary number of emitters. The entanglement between multiple qubits is characterized by computing the negativity metric applied to the proposed nanophotonic ENZ configuration. The ENZ response is found to be substantially advantageous to boost the coherence between multiple emitters compared to alternative plasmonic waveguide schemes. Finally, the super-radiance collective emission response at the ENZ resonance is utilized to design a high fidelity two-qubit quantum phase gate that can be used in various emerging quantum computing applications.
Two emitters can be entangled by manipulating them through optical fields within a photonic cavity. However, maintaining entanglement for a long time is challenging due to the decoherence of the entangled qubits, primarily caused by cavity loss and atomic decay. Here, we found the entangled dark state between two emitters mediated by a dielectric cavity within epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, ensuring entanglement maintenance over an extended period. To obtain the entangled dark state, we derived an effective model with degenerate mode modulation. In the dielectric cavities within ENZ materials, the decay rate of emitters can be regarded as 0, which is the key to achieving the entangled dark state. Meanwhile, the dark state immune to cavity loss exists when two emitters are in symmetric positions in the dielectric cavity. Additionally, by adjusting the emitters to specific asymmetric positions, it is possible to achieve transient entanglement with higher concurrence. By overcoming the decoherence of the entangled qubits, this study demonstrates stable, long-term entanglement with ENZ materials, holding significant importance for applications such as nanodevice design for quantum communication and quantum information processing.