量子通信

量子通信是经典通信和量子力学相结合的一门新兴交叉学科。文章综述了量子通信领域的研究进展，既包括人们所熟知的量子隐形传态、密集编码和量子密码学，也包括刚刚兴起但却有巨大潜力的量子通信复杂度和远程量子通信等领域。文章介绍了量子通信的基本理论框架，同时也涉及了这个领域最新的实验研究的进展。     

Security analysis on some experimental quantum key distribution systems with imperfect optical and electrical devices

In general, quantum key distribution （QKD） has been proved unconditionally secure for perfect devices due to quantum uncertainty principle, quantum noneloning theorem and quantum nondividing principle which means that a quantum cannot be divided further. However, the practical optical and electrical devices used in the system are imperfect, which can be exploited by the eavesdropper to partially or totally spy the secret key between the legitimate parties. In this article, we first briefly review the recent work on quantum hacking on some experimental QKD systems with respect to imperfect devices carried out internationally, then we will present our recent hacking works in details, including passive faraday mirror attack, partially random phase attack, wavelength-selected photon-number-splitting attack, frequency shift attack, and single-photon-detector attack. Those quantum attack reminds people to improve the security existed in practical QKD systems due to imperfect devices by simply adding countermeasure or adopting a totally different protocol such as measurement-device independent protocol to avoid quantum hacking on the imperfection of measurement devices [Lo, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2012, 108： 130503].     

Science as social history

Quantum states of light, such as squeezed states or entangled states, can be used to make measurements (metrology), produce images, and sense objects with a precision that far exceeds what is possible classically, and also exceeds what was once thought to be possible quantum mechanically. The primary idea is to exploit quantum effects to beat the shot-noise limit in metrology and the Rayleigh diffraction limit in imaging and sensing. Quantum optical metrology has received a boost in recent years with an influx of ideas from the rapidly evolving field of optical quantum information processing. Both areas of research exploit the creation and manipulation of quantum-entangled states of light. We will review some of the recent theoretical and experimental advances in this exciting new field of quantum optical metrology, focusing on examples that exploit a particular two-mode entangled photon state – the High-N00N state.     

Quantum machines

We discuss quantum information processing machines. We start with single purpose machines that either redistribute quantum information or identify quantum states. We then move on to machines that can perform a number of functions, with the function they perform being determined by a program, which is itself a quantum state. Examples of both deterministic and probabilistic programmable machines are given, and we conclude with a discussion of the utility of quantum programs.     

Gravity,Quantum Fields and Quantum Information: Problems with Classical Channel and Stochastic Theories

In recent years an increasing number of papers have attempted to mimic or supplant quantum field theory in discussions of issues related to gravity by the tools and through the perspective of quantum information theory, often in the context of alternative quantum theories. In this article, we point out three common problems in such treatments. First, we show that the notion of interactions mediated by an information channel is not, in general, equivalent to the treatment of interactions by quantum field theory. When used to describe gravity, this notion may lead to inconsistencies with general relativity. Second, we point out that in general one cannot replace a quantum field by a classical stochastic field, or mock up the effects of quantum fluctuations by that of classical stochastic sources (noises), because in so doing important quantum features such as coherence and entanglement will be left out. Third, we explain how under specific conditions semi-classical and stochastic theories indeed can be formulated from their quantum origins and play a role at certain regimes of interest.     

Chaos and quantum Fisher information in the quantum kicked top

Quantum Fisher information is related to the problem of parameter estimation.Recently,a criterion has been proposed for entanglement in multipartite systems based on quantum Fisher information.This paper studies the behaviours of quantum Fisher information in the quantum kicked top model,whose classical correspondence can be chaotic.It finds that,first,detected by quantum Fisher information,the quantum kicked top is entangled whether the system is in chaotic or in regular case.Secondly,the quantum Fisher information is larger in chaotic case than that in regular case,which means,the system is more sensitive in the chaotic case.     

Quantum Network Coding on Networks with Arbitrarily Distributed Hidden Channels

Although perfect quantum network coding has been proved to be achievable,it is still puzzling whether it is feasible whenever one or more of the channels are replaced by the hidden ones emerging from quantum entanglement.The question is answered in this paper.First,we propose a quantum network coding protocol over a butterfly network with two hidden channels.Second,we investigate a more general situation,where d-level quantum letters are transmitted through the network containing arbitrarily distributed hidden channels,and prove that quantum network coding on such networks is still achievable.     

A Novel Deterministic Quantum Communication Scheme Using Stabilizer Quantum Code

Exploiting the encoding process of the stabilizer quantum code [[n, k, d]], a deterministic quantum communication scheme, in which n - 1 photons are distributed forward and backward in two-way channel, is proposed to transmit the secret messages with unconditional security. The present scheme can be implemented to distribute the secret quantum （or classical） messages with great capacity in imperfect quantum channel since the utilized code encodes k-qubit messages for each scheme run.     

Nature Has No Elementary Particles and Makes No Measurements or Predictions: Quantum Measurement and Quantum Theory,from Bohr to Bell and from Bell to Bohr

This article reconsiders the concept of physical reality in quantum theory and the concept of quantum measurement, following Bohr, whose analysis of quantum measurement led him to his concept of a (quantum) “phenomenon,” referring to “the observations obtained under the specified circumstances,” in the interaction between quantum objects and measuring instruments. This situation makes the terms “observation” and “measurement,” as conventionally understood, inapplicable. These terms are remnants of classical physics or still earlier history, from which classical physics inherited it. As defined here, a quantum measurement does not measure any preexisting property of the ultimate constitution of the reality responsible for quantum phenomena. An act of measurement establishes a quantum phenomenon by an interaction between the instrument and the quantum object or in the present view the ultimate constitution of the reality responsible for quantum phenomena and, at the time of measurement, also quantum objects. In the view advanced in this article, in contrast to that of Bohr, quantum objects, such as electrons or photons, are assumed to exist only at the time of measurement and not independently, a view that redefines the concept of quantum object as well. This redefinition becomes especially important in high-energy quantum regimes and quantum field theory and allows this article to define a new concept of quantum field. The article also considers, now following Bohr, the quantum measurement as the entanglement between quantum objects and measurement instruments. The argument of the article is grounded in the concept “reality without realism” (RWR), as underlying quantum measurement thus understood, and the view, the RWR view, of quantum theory defined by this concept. The RWR view places a stratum of physical reality thus designated, here the reality ultimately responsible for quantum phenomena, beyond representation or knowledge, or even conception, and defines the corresponding set of interpretations quantum mechanics or quantum field theory, such as the one assumed in this article, in which, again, not only quantum phenomena but also quantum objects are (idealizations) defined by measurement. As such, the article also offers a broadly conceived response to J. Bell’s argument “against ‘measurement’”.     

Circular threshold quantum secret sharing

This paper proposes a circular threshold quantum secret sharing （TQSS） scheme with polarized single photons. A polarized single photon sequence runs circularly among any t or more of n parties and any t or more of n parties can reconstruct the secret key when they collaborate. It shows that entanglement is not necessary for quantum secret sharing. Moreover, the theoretic efficiency is improved to approach 100% as the single photons carrying the secret key are deterministically forwarded among any t or more of n parties, and each photon can carry one bit of information without quantum storage. This protocol is feasible with current technology.     

Advantage of Quantum Theory over Nonclassical Models of Communication

Quantum correlations provide dramatic advantage over the corresponding classical resources in several communication tasks. However, a broad class of probabilistic theories exists that attributes greater success than quantum theory in many of these tasks by allowing supra-quantum correlations in “space-like” and/or “time-like” paradigms. In this letter, a communication task involving three spatially separated parties is proposed where one party (verifier) aims to verify whether the bit strings possessed by the other two parties (terminals) are equal or not. This task is called authentication with limited communication, the restrictions on communication being: i) the terminals cannot communicate with each other, but (ii) each of them can communicate with the verifier through single use of channels with limited capacity. Manifestly, classical resources are not sufficient for perfect success of this task. Moreover, it is also not possible to perform this task with certainty in several nonclassical theories although they might possess stronger “space-like” and/or “time-like” correlations. Surprisingly, quantum resources can achieve the perfect winning strategy. The proposed task thus stands apart from all previously known communication tasks as it exhibits quantum advantage over other nonclassical strategies.     

Multiparty Quantum Secret Sharing Using Quantum Fourier Transform

A （n, n）-threshold scheme of multiparty quantum secret sharing of classical or quantum message is proposed based on the discrete quantum Fourier transform. In our proposed scheme, the secret message, which is encoded by using the forward quantum Fourier transform and decoded by using the reverse, is split and shared in such a way that it can be reconstructed among them only if all the participants work in concert. Fhrthermore, we also discuss how this protocol must be carefully designed for correcting errors and checking eavesdropping or a dishonest participant. Security analysis shows that our scheme is secure. Also, this scheme has an advantage that it is completely compatible with quantum computation and easier to realize in the distributed quantum secure computation.     

Quantum Network Coding on Networks with Arbitrarily Distributed Hidden Channels

Although perfect quantum network coding has been proved to be achievable, it is still puzzling whether it is feasible whenever one or more of the channels are replaced by the hidden ones emerging from quantum entanglement. The question is answered in this paper. First, we propose a quantum network coding protocol over a butterfly network with two hidden channels. Second, we investigate a more general situation, where d-level quantum letters are transmitted through the network containing arbitrarily distributed hidden channels, and prove that quantum network coding on such networks is still achievable.     

Variational quantum eigensolvers by variance minimization

The original variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) typically minimizes energy with hybrid quantum-classical optimization that aims to find the ground state. Here, we propose a VQE based on minimizing energy variance and call it the variance-VQE, which treats the ground state and excited states on the same footing, since an arbitrary eigenstate for a Hamiltonian should have zero energy variance. We demonstrate the properties of the variance-VQE for solving a set of excited states in quantum chemistry problems. Remarkably, we show that optimization of a combination of energy and variance may be more efficient to find low-energy excited states than those of minimizing energy or variance alone. We further reveal that the optimization can be boosted with stochastic gradient descent by Hamiltonian sampling, which uses only a few terms of the Hamiltonian and thus significantly reduces the quantum resource for evaluating variance and its gradients.     

基于拉曼协议的量子存储

量子存储器是实现按照需要存储/读出诸如单光子、纠缠或者压缩态等非经典量子态的系统,是实现量子通信和量子计算必不可少的核心器件.量子存储协议多种多样,其中拉曼方案由于具有存储宽带大、可用于存储短脉冲信号的优点而引起了人们的广泛关注.然而实现真正单光子和光子纠缠的拉曼存储具有挑战性.本文简要介绍了量子存储器的主要性能和评价指标,在回顾了量子存储器特别是拉曼量子存储器的发展现状后,重点介绍了本研究组最近基于拉曼协议实现各种量子态存储的系列研究,取得的研究成果对于构建高速量子网络具有重要参考价值.     

Spatial Entanglement of Fermions in One-Dimensional Quantum Dots

The time-dependent quantum Monte Carlo method for fermions is introduced and applied in the calculation of the entanglement of electrons in one-dimensional quantum dots with several spin-polarized and spin-compensated electron configurations. The rich statistics of wave functions provided by this method allow one to build reduced density matrices for each electron, and to quantify the spatial entanglement using measures such as quantum entropy by treating the electrons as identical or distinguishable particles. Our results indicate that the spatial entanglement in parallel-spin configurations is rather small, and is determined mostly by the spatial quantum nonlocality introduced by the ground state. By contrast, in the spin-compensated case, the outermost opposite-spin electrons interact like bosons, which prevails their entanglement, while the inner-shell electrons remain largely at their Hartree–Fock geometry. Our findings are in close correspondence with the numerically exact results, wherever such comparison is possible.     

Quantum Ratchet in Disordered Quantum Walk

Symmetrically evolving discrete quantum walk results in dynamic localization with zero mean displacement when the standard evolution operations are replaced by a temporal disorder evolution operation. In this work we show that the quantum ratchet action, that is, a directed transport in standard or disordered discrete‐time quantum walk can be realized by introducing a pawl like effect realized by using a fixed coin operation at marked positions that is, different from the ones used for evolution at other positions. We also show that the combination of standard and disordered evolution operations can be optimized to get the mean displacement of order ∝ t (number of walk steps). This model of quantum ratchet in quantum walk is defined using only a set of entangling unitary operators resulting in the coherent quantum transport.     

自组织量子点的量子态光学探测

半导体量子点主要包括在真空中外延生长的自组织量子点和在溶液中采用化学方法合成的胶体量子点,由于量子限制效应所导致的分立能级结构使得它们通常被称为“人工原子”。和自然原子不同,半导体量子点的能级结构强烈依赖于其尺寸和形状,这样就提供了更为灵活的方法来控制固体材料中的光与材料的相互作用。近年来,许多类原子的量子光学现象(包括量子干涉、Rabi振荡和Mollow荧光)都已经在单个的自组织量子点中揭示出来。与此形成对比的是,上述所有的类原子量子光学特性目前还没有在单个的胶体量子点中观察得到。在本文中,我们将侧重于介绍我们科研组以及我们和别的科研组合作对单个自组织量子点的单量子态在光学探测和相干控制方面完成的一系列工作。对单个的胶体量子点,我们认为量子相干特性的测量和控制将在新近合成的非荧光闪烁或荧光闪烁得到抑制的材料体系中得以实现.     

自组织量子点的量子态光学探测(英文)

半导体量子点主要包括在真空中外延生长的自组织量子点和在溶液中采用化学方法合成的胶体量子点,由于量子限制效应所导致的分立能级结构使得它们通常被称为"人工原子"。和自然原子不同,半导体量子点的能级结构强烈依赖于其尺寸和形状,这样就提供了更为灵活的方法来控制固体材料中的光与材料的相互作用。近年来,许多类原子的量子光学现象(包括量子干涉、Rabi振荡和Mollow荧光)都已经在单个的自组织量子点中揭示出来。与此形成对比的是,上述所有的类原子量子光学特性目前还没有在单个的胶体量子点中观察得到。在本文中,我们将侧重于介绍我们科研组以及我们和别的科研组合作对单个自组织量子点的单量子态在光学探测和相干控制方面完成的一系列工作。对单个的胶体量子点,我们认为量子相干特性的测量和控制将在新近合成的非荧光闪烁或荧光闪烁得到抑制的材料体系中得以实现。