Quantum information theory studies how quantum mechanics can be used to solve information processing tasks. The explotation of quantum mechanical properties can lead to quantum information protocols being more efficient than their classical counterparts. Continuous-Variable states offer an attractive platform for implementing various quantum information continuous variable protocols. In this thesis we show how Josephson Parametric Oscillators (JPO) can be used to generate multipartite entangled CV states for the use as a quantum resource in quantum information protocols. By simultaneously driving the JPO with two different pump tones, a tripartite entangled state is generated. The entanglement properties of the tripartite state are entirely contained in its 6-by-6 covariance matrix. Various entanglement measures are applied to the covariance matrix to demonstrate that the generated state exhibits genuine tripartite entanglement.
Quantum information theory studies how quantum mechanics can be used to solve information processing tasks. The explotation of quantum mechanical properties can lead to quantum information protocols being more efficient than their classical counterparts. Continuous-Variable states offer an attractive platform for implementing various quantum information continuous variable protocols. In this thesis we show how Josephson Parametric Oscillators (JPO) can be used to generate multipartite entangled CV states for the use as a quantum resource in quantum information protocols. By simultaneously driving the JPO with two different pump tones, a tripartite entangled state is generated. The entanglement properties of the tripartite state are entirely contained in its 6-by-6 covariance matrix. Various entanglement measures are applied to the covariance matrix to demonstrate that the generated state exhibits genuine tripartite entanglement.
Abstract Quantum correlations are a vital resource in advanced information processing based on quantum phenomena. Remarkably, the vacuum state of a quantum field may act as a key element for the generation of multipartite quantum entanglement. In this work, generation of genuine tripartite entangled state and its control is achieved by the use of the phase difference between two continuous pump tones. Control of the subspaces of the covariance matrix for tripartite bisqueezed state is demonstrated. Furthermore, by optimizing the phase relationships in a three‐tone pumping scheme genuine quadripartite entanglement of a generalized H‐graph state (‐graph) is explored. This scheme provides a comprehensive control toolbox for the entanglement structure and allows to demonstrate, for first time to the authors' knowledge, genuine quadripartite entanglement of microwave modes. All experimental results are verified with numerical simulations of the nonlinear quantum Langevin equation. It is envisioned that quantum resources facilitated by multi‐pump configurations offer enhanced prospects for quantum data processing using parametric microwave cavities.
Continuous-variable (CV) multipartite entangled states, particularly Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) states, are an indispensable resource for quantum networks and quantum information processing. Conventional approaches to generating CV GHZ states rely on combining multiple independently prepared squeezed lights through complex interferometric networks, which impose significant challenges in scalability and stability. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a compact and resource-efficient scheme for generating a tripartite CV GHZ state from a single quantum frequency comb produced by a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator. By employing multipixel homodyne detection, we simultaneously measure quadrature fluctuations across multiple frequency bands and reconstruct the full multimode covariance matrix in a single measurement. Through eigenmode decomposition, we extract a set of independent squeezed supermodes, which are subsequently transformed via a tailored linear unitary operation implemented in post-processing. Using this approach, we deterministically construct a tripartite GHZ state from three supermodes and verify its entanglement via the van Loock–Furusawa criteria, with the corresponding correlation variances measured to be 0.57, 0.75, and 0.57, all below the shot noise limit. This method effectively realizes a scalable entanglement generation scheme within a single optical beam, eliminating the need for complex interferometric networks. Our results provide a scalable and versatile platform for multimode quantum information processing.
Quantum optics has been, from its beginning, a driving force both for the exploration of fundamental limits of the quantum world and for conceiving seminal ideas and applications of the so-called quantum technologies. The last 20 years have seen a rapid development of ideas and proof-of-principle experiments involving the fields of quantum communication, quantum computation, quantum metrology and quantum simulation. The so called continuous variable (CV) approach to quantum optics, which uses many photon in collective states, and continuous observables like the quadratures of the electric field to encode information, has many interesting properties, especially from a communications perspective. It is inherently broadband and compatible with standard telecom infrastructures. Moreover, in CV, entanglement, one of the fundamental resource of quantum optics, can be generated deterministically. One of the main challenges for all quantum information technologies is scalability, being able to generate and manipulate a large number of quantum resources to achieve practical tasks efficiently. One approach to solve the issue of scalability is to use highly multimode quantum states. The quantum description of the electromagnetic field associate each photon (particle of light) with a mode (way for light to propagate). In a mutlimodal approach, we look at the quantum state bases and optical modes bases conjointly and tailor quantum fields not only in given modes, but also optimize the spatio-temporal shapes of the modes in which the state is defined. This opens wide perspectives for treating complex quantum states. In particular, using ultra-fast pulses of light which contain many temporal/spectral modes, we are able to generate large and complex entangled states of light using simple resources. In this thesis, we used an optical parametric oscillator pumped synchronously (SPOPO) with a frequency comb to generate multimode squeezed vacuum states which can be used to form cluster states: a large collection of modes (the nodes) entangled to each other in a certain way. These state are the basic resource for Measurement Based Quantum Computation (MBQC). This set-up has the advantage to generate entanglement in many mode with a single device. It is also highly tunable. Indeed, by tuning the spectrum of the OPO pump with a pulse shaper, one can tailor the properties of the generated quantum state. In this work, we focus on the optimization of the pump spectral shape to generate specific states. Using simulations based on Machine Learning Algorithms (MLA), we find optimal pump profile for typical target states. We then implement those shapes on the experimental set-up and measure the resulting states using multipixel homodyne detection. We also study intra-cavity dispersion effects. Dispersion inside the SPOPO cavity is indeed one of the main factor that limits the number of entangled modes in the generated quantum states. A systematic study of dispersion effects is therefore necessary to model the SPOPO output accurately. This works paves the way toward a fully tunable device that can be optimized in real time to generate specific quantum resources tailored for specific tasks.
Parametric oscillations are well studied phenomena, with applications in amplification, quantum optics, and quantum information processing. They can occur as a parameter of a system, such as the resonant frequency, is being modulated or “pumped” by an external field. A nonlinearity of the system can then transfer power from the pumping frequency to two frequencies called signal and idler. When the signal falls within a resonance, and when the pump amplitude exceeds an instability threshold, parametric oscillations occur. When signal and idler fall within the same resonance, the pumping is called degenerate.Due to somewhat different implementations, in combination with rich nonlinear physics, the details of the parametric oscillations can differ in different systems. In this work, we expand on the research done on parametric oscillations using a superconducting microwave resonator with a tunable boundary condition. Previously, a degenerate Josephson parametric oscillator (JPO) has been demonstrated by modulation of this boundary condition at twice the resonator's resonant frequency. We further use the JPO to implement a novel read-out method for a superconducting qubit. Moreover, we demonstrate a different, nondegenerate regime of the JPO, which we denote the NJPO, by modulating the frequency at the sum of two resonant frequencies of a multimode resonator.Both the JPO qubit read-out and the NJPO have applications within quantum information processing. The perhaps most promising platform for quantum information processing is represented by the circuit-QED architecture with superconducting resonators and artificial atoms, where the two lowest atomic levels represent the qubit. We make these circuits using lithographic techniques, and control and measure them at low temperature using microwaves. The qubit's state is fragile and difficult to read out with high fidelity. To this end, we have developed a method based on the JPO, in which the qubit state is mapped onto a zero-amplitude or a large-amplitude state of the JPO. We achieved a large contrast (185±15 photons), therefore eliminating the need for a following quantum-limited parametric amplifier. Our readout fidelity was 81.5 %, and by carefully modeling we can distinguish fidelity loss from the qubit and the readout, respectively. This analysis displays an actual readout fidelity of 98.7 %.An alternative model for quantum computing is based on continuous variables, and uses harmonic oscillators instead of qubits. Entangled states, which can be used as quantum resources, can then be created, for example, by two-mode squeezing of the oscillator ground state. The state of the NJPO produces correlated oscillations in its two modes, which might be useful for continuous-variable quantum computing. In this work we fully characterize the classical properties of the NJPO, and show good quantitative agreement with a theoretical model.
The structural aspects of tripartite entanglement in three-mode Gaussian states of continuous variable systems have been studied in [Adesso G, Serafini A and Illuminati F 2006 Phys. Rev. A {\\bf 73} 032345]. Here we focus our attention on the usefulness of such states in the context of realistic processing of continuous-variable quantum information. We introduce and discuss in detail several examples of pure and mixed three-mode states that stand out for their informational and/or entanglement properties. We then describe practical schemes to engineer such states with linear optics. In particular, we introduce a simple procedure -- based on passive optical elements -- to produce pure three-mode Gaussian states with {\\em arbitrary} entanglement structure (upon availability of an initial single-mode squeezed state). We analyze in detail the properties of distributed entanglement, showing that the promiscuity of entanglement sharing is a feature peculiar to symmetric Gaussian states that survives even in the presence of significant degrees of mixedness and decoherence. Next, we discuss the suitability of the considered tripartite entangled states to the implementation of quantum information and communication protocols with continuous variables. This will lead to a feasible experimental proposal to test the promiscuous sharing of continuous-variable entanglement, in terms of the optimal fidelity of teleportation networks with Gaussian resources. As a byproduct, optimal resource states for various communication protocols (among which asymmetric telecloning) will be exactly determined.
Quantum mechanics is nonlocal, which makes it different from classical mechanics. Quantum information and quantum computation is a promising frontier science which is based on quantum mechanics. The nonlocality of quantum mechanics is the fundamental reason that many quantum information processing tasks have significant advantages over their classical counterparts.
In this dissertation, we study three aspects of quantum nonlocality, which include the quantitative relationship between entanglement and nonlocality, the quantification of genuine tripartite nonlocality and the distribution of nonlocal quantum resources. To be specific,
• We investigate the quantitative relationship between entanglement and nonlocality of bipartite quantum systems. We start by exploiting the condition that the nonlocality of two different two-qubit states can be optimally examined by a same nonlocality test setting. Via numerical simulation, we find that the nonlocality of a generic two-qubit state is upper bounded by a function of the corresponding entanglement. Further, we give an analytical proof for the upper bound and find the class of two-qubit states that can reach the upper bound.
• We analyze the quantification of genuine tripartite nonlocality of a generic three-qubit state. We find a method to solve the problem for a special class of three-qubit states which include not only pure states but also mixed states. Applying the method, we drive analytical results for the genuine tripartite nonlocality of generalized GHZ states, generalized Werner states and two class of mixed states with special correlation matrices.
• We investigate the distribution of nonlocal quantum resources. To distribute bipartite nonlocal quantum resources, we design an efficient quantum repeater scheme, which not only achieves the optimal transmission rate but also consumes less resources of local operations and classical communication, for the case of general pure states of two-qubit system. We also analyze the case of bipartite pure states of arbitrary dimensional quantum system and get an upper bound on the probability of a successful projection operation to produce a maximally nonlocal state. To distribute tripartite nonlocal resources, we propose a simple scenario to generate tripartite nonlocal resources from bipartite nonlocal resources. As examples, we examine the cases that two-qubit Werner states and general two-qubit pure states are prepared as resources, respectively. We get the upper bounds on the genuine tripartite nonlocality that can be generated in the scenario. We also provide the optimal measurement settings to achieve the upper bounds.