Performance of a superconducting single photon detector with nano-antenna

<正>The performance of single-photon detectors can be enhanced by using nano-antenna.The characteristics of the superconducting nano-wire single-photon detector with cavity plus anti-reflect coating and specially designed nanoantenna is analysed.The photon collection efficiency of the detector is enhanced without damaging the detector’s speed,thus getting rid of the dilemma of speed and efficiency.The characteristics of nano-antenna are discussed,such as the position and the effect of the active area,and the best result is given.The photon collection efficiency is increased by 92 times compared with that of existing detectors.     

超导纳米线单光子探测器件的制备

超导纳米线单光子探测器件(SNSPD)是超导单光子探测系统的核心器件。文中介绍了成功制备的基于5nm厚的NbN超导超薄薄膜的SNSPD器件。器件核心结构为150nm宽的纳米曲折线结构,纳米线条占空比为75%,面积为20μm×20μm。超导纳米线是利用电子束曝光(EBL)技术和反应离子刻蚀(RIE)等工艺技术制备的。所制备的SNSPD样品,在温度3.5K下的临界电流约12.9μA;在1310nm波长光波辐照,12.5μA的偏置电流下,探测效率约0.016%。     

基于超导纳米线单光子探测器深空激光通信模型及误码率研究

高速深空通信是深空探测的关键技术之一,具备单光子灵敏度的激光通信系统将大大提高现有的深空通信速度.然而,单光子条件下的激光通信不仅需要考虑传输环境的影响,还需要考虑实际单光子探测器性能和光子数量子态的分布.本文在不考虑大气湍流影响的情况下,以光电探测模型为基础,引入超导纳米线单光子探测器(SNSPD)系统的探测效率和暗计数,建立了反应系统差错性能的数学模型,提出了系统误码率的计算公式.先对公式中的光强和激光脉冲重复频率对误码率的影响进行仿真,再通过实验结果验证仿真模型.结果表明,光强对误码率的影响最明显,随着光强从0.01光子/脉冲到1000光子/脉冲的增加,误码率从10~(-1)到10~(-7)量级明显下降;激光脉冲重复频率对误码率的影响受到不同光强的制约,但都随着脉冲重复频率的增加呈下降趋势.与此同时,当增加光强或者提高速度时,误码率高于仿真结果,约在10~(-4)量级,其原因可能是实际通信中调制光信号的消光比不足和光纤引入背景噪声提高了系统暗计数.以上模型和实验结果为进一步开展基于SNSPD的月球-地球、火星-地球等高速深空激光通信奠定了基础.     

超导转变边沿单光子探测器原理与研究进展

量子信息技术近十多年来的快速发展对单光子探测器的性能提出了更高的要求,高性能单光子探测器也因此受到了更多的关注.与传统的单光子探测器相比,超导转变边沿(TES)单光子探测器在探测效率、能量分辨、光子数分辨和暗计数等方面具有突出优势.目前,超导TES单光子探测器已经被成功地应用在量子光学实验和量子密钥分配系统中,未来在量子信息技术等研究领域具有更广泛的应用.本文从超导TES单光子探测器的工作原理、制备流程、测试系统、主要性能指标以及研究现状和进展等方面对该探测器技术进行简要综述.     

Shortcut-based quantum gates on superconducting qubits in circuit QED

Construction of optimal gate operations is significant for quantum computation. Here an efficient scheme is proposed for performing shortcut-based quantum gates on superconducting qubits in circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED). Two four-level artificial atoms of Cooper-pair box circuits, having sufficient level anharmonicity, are placed in a common quantized field of circuit QED and are driven by individual classical microwaves. Without the effect of cross resonance, one-qubit NOT gate and phase gate in a decoupled atom can be implemented using the invariant-based shortcuts to adiabaticity. With the assistance of cavity bus, a one-step SWAP gate can be obtained within a composite qubit-photon-qubit system by inversely engineering the classical drivings. We further consider the gate realizations by adjusting the microwave fields. With the accessible decoherence rates, the shortcut-based gates have high fidelities. The present strategy could offer a promising route towards fast and robust quantum computation with superconducting circuits experimentally.     

Pulse-gated mode of commercial superconducting nanowire single photon detectors

High detection efficiency and low intrinsic dark count rate are two advantages of superconducting nanowire single photon detectors(SNSPDs).However,the stray photons penetrated into the fiber would cause the extrinsic dark count rate,owing to the free running mode of SNSPDs.In order to improve the performance of SNSPDs in realistic scenarios,stray photons should be investigated and suppression methods should be adopted.In this study,we demonstrate the pulsegated mode,with 500 kHz gating frequency,of a commercial SNSPD system for suppressing the response of stray photons about three orders of magnitude than its free-running counterpart on the extreme test conditions.When we push the gating frequency to 8 MHz,the dark count rate still keeps under 4% of free-running mode.In experiments,the intrinsic dark count rate is also suppressed to 4.56 × 10~(-2) counts per second with system detection efficiency of 76.4372%.Furthermore,the time-correlated single-photon counting analysis also approves the validity of our mode in suppressing the responses of stray photons.     

Programmable quantum processor implemented with superconducting circuit

A quantum processor might execute certain computational tasks exponentially faster than a classical processor. Here, using superconducting quantum circuits we design a powerful universal quantum processor with the structure of symmetric all-to-all capacitive connection. We present the Hamiltonian and use it to demonstrate a full set of qubit operations needed in the programmable universal quantum computations. With the device the unwanted crosstalk and ZZ-type couplings between qubits can be effectively suppressed by tuning gate voltages, and the design allows efficient and high-quality couplings of qubits. Within available technology,the scheme may enable a practical programmable universal quantum computer.     

Distributed quantum computation with superconducting qubit via LC circuit using dressed states

A scheme is proposed where two superconducting qubits driven by a classical field interacting separately with two distant LC circuits connected by another LC circuit through mutual inductance,are used for implementing quantum gates.By using dressed states,quantum state transfer and quantum entangling gate can be implemented.With the help of the time-dependent electromagnetic field,any two dressed qubits can be selectively coupled to the data bus (the last LC circuit),then quantum state can be transferred from one dressed qubit to another and multi-mode entangled state can also be formed.As a result,the promising perspectives for quantum information processing of mesoscopic superconducting qubits are obtained and the distributed and scalable quantum computation can be implemented in this scheme.     

诱惑态在“双探测器”准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统中的应用

现在诱惑态已被证明是一种可以大大提高量子密钥分发安全性能的现实可行的方法.由于考虑到现实应用中激光器在调制过程中的消光比不能做到100%,以及激光器固有的自发辐射因而使得制备真空态并不是一件容易的事情. 因此本文将对理想情况下准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统应用中的诱惑态结论作了补充和扩展,提出了两个弱光强态的诱惑态方案和一个弱光强诱惑态方案.最后,将“双探测器”的理论应用在准单光子源(HSPS)光源系统中,使系统的安全传输距离可达到2215km,比使用普通探测器的系统增加了约50km. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 诱惑态 HSPS光源 双探测器     

诱惑态在“双探测器”准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统中的应用

现在诱惑态已被证明是一种可以大大提高量子密钥分发安全性能的现实可行的方法.由于考虑到现实应用中激光器在调制过程中的消光比不能做到100%，以及激光器固有的自发辐射因而使得制备真空态并不是一件容易的事情. 因此本文将对理想情况下准单光子光源量子密钥分发系统应用中的诱惑态结论作了补充和扩展，提出了两个弱光强态的诱惑态方案和一个弱光强诱惑态方案.最后，将“双探测器”的理论应用在准单光子源(HSPS)光源系统中，使系统的安全传输距离可达到2215km，比使用普通探测器的系统增加了约50km.     

Single-mode photon number measurement for the squeezed two-mode number state

Based on the fact that a two-mode squeezed number state is a two-variable Hermite polynomial excitation of the two-mode squeezed vacuum state, the result of one-mode l-photon measurement for the two-mode squeezed number state $S_2|m,n\rangle$ is discussed. It is found that a remaining field-mode simultaneously collapses into a number state $|n-m+l\rangle$ with the coefficient being a Jacobi polynomial of n, m and l, which manifestly exhibits the entanglement between the two modes, i.e. it depends on the number-difference between the two modes. The second mode collapses into an excited coherent state when the first mode is measured as a coherent state.     

超导纳米线单光子探测器

利用磁控溅射、电子束光刻和反应离子刻蚀等微加工技术,开展了超导纳米线单光子探测器(SNSPD)的研究.通过对SNSPD的设计和制备工艺参数的优化,成功制备出了高质量的SNSPD.单光子检测实验表明,制备的SNSPD对660 nm波长的光信号,系统检测效率可达30%,对1550 nm波长光信号,最大系统检测效率为4.2%.在平均暗计数小于10 c/s的情况下,系统检测效率大于20%(660 nm)和3%(1550 nm). 关键词： 单光子 氮化铌 纳米线 探测器     

Remote excitation and remote detection of a single quantum dot using propagating surface plasmons on silver nanowire

Using propagating surface plasmons(SPs) on a silver nanowire(NW), we demonstrate that a focused laser light at the end of the silver NW can excite a single quantum dot(QD) microns away from the excitation spot. The QD–NW interaction allows the excited QD convert part of its energy into propagating SPs, which then can be detected at remote sites.Simultaneous multi-QD remote excitation and remote detection can also be realized. Furthermore, the tight confinement of the propagating SPs around the NW surface enables the selective excitation of QDs very close in space, which cannot be realized under the conventional excitation condition. This remote excitation and remote detection approach may find applications in optical imaging and the sensing of chemical and biological systems.     

Detecting the possibility of a type of photon number splitting attack in decoy-state quantum key distribution

The existing decoy-state quantum key distribution (QKD) beating photon-number-splitting (PNS) attack provides a more accurate method to estimate the secure key rate, while it still considers that only single-photon pulses can generate secure keys in any case. However, multiphoton pulses can also generate secure keys if we can detect the possibility of PNS attack in the channel. The ultimate goal of this line of research is to confirm the absence of all types of PNS attacks. In particular, the PNS attack mentioned and detected in this paper is only the weaker version of PNS attack which significantly changes the observed values of the legitimate users. In this paper, under the null hypothesis of no weaker version of PNS attack, we first determine whether there is an attack or not by retrieving the missing information of the existing decoy-state protocols, extract a Cauchy distribution statistic, and further provide a detection method and the type I error probability. If the result is judged to be an attack, we can use the existing decoy-state method and the GLLP formula to estimate the secure key rate. Otherwise, the pulses with the same basis received including both single-photon pulses and multiphoton pulses, can be used to generate the keys and we give the secure key rate in this case. Finally, the associated experiments we performed (i.e., the significance level is 5%) show the correctness of our method.     

Photon counting statistics in single multi-level quantum system

<正>We theoretically study the statistics of photon emission of a single multi-level quantum system by employing the generating functions approach developed recently.The generalized decay constants are included in a single multi-level quantum system with quasi-degenerated levels in this work although they are normally neglected in the absence of (quasi-)degeneracies in a multi-level quantum system within the rotating wave approximation.The quantum beats,the line shapes and the Mandel's Q parameters,etc.are studied.     

“量身定做”单光子波包：在量子网络中控制光子/自旋量子界面

文章简要地介绍了如何在量子网络中控制量子界面动力学以实现静态量子比特和动态量子比特的相互转换. 具体言之,该界面由半导体量子点、固体光学微腔以及光学波导管构成, 静态及动态比特分别为量子点中的电子自旋和波导管中的单光子波包所携带. 界面动力学的控制则是基于对量子点、微腔和波导管耦合系统的量子电动力学的严格求解. 据此可实现网络中两个远距离节点间的量子态传输、交换以及确定性的建立量子纠缠等量子操作. 上述量子界面亦可用于任意指定波形的单光子源或者单光子探测装置.     

"量身定做"单光子波包:在量子网络中控制光子/自旋量子界面

文章简要地介绍了如何在量子网络中控制量子界面动力学以实现静态量子比特和动态量子比特的相互转换．具体言之，该界面由半导体量子点、固体光学微腔以及光学波导管构成，静态及动态比特分别为量子点中的电子自旋和波导管中的单光子波包所携带．界面动力学的控制则是基于对量子点、微腔和波导管耦合系统的量子电动力学的严格求解．据此可实现网络中两个远距离节点间的量子态传输、交换以及确定性的建立量子纠缠等量子操作．上述量子界面亦可用于任意指定波形的单光子源或者单光子探测装置。     

Single photon sources with single semiconductor quantum dots

In t.his contribution, we briefly recall the basic concepts of quantum optics and properties of semicon- ductor quantum clot. （QD） which a.re necessary to the nnderstanding of the physics of single-photon generation with single QDs. Firstly, we address the theory of quantmn emitter-cavity system, the fluorescence and optical properties of semiconductor QDs, and the photon statistics as well as opti- cal properties of the QDs. We then review the localizatioll of single semiconductor QDs in quantum confined optical microcavity systems to achieve their overall optical properties and perfornances in terms of strong coupling regime, elfieiency, directionality, and polarization control. Furthermore, we will discuss the recenl, progress on the fabrication of single photon sources, and various a.pproaehes for embedding single QDs into mieroca,vities or photonic crystal nanoeavities and show how to ex- tend the wavelength range. We focus in part;icular on new generations of electrically driven QD single photon source leading to high repetition rates, efficiencies at elevated temperature operation. Besides strong eoupling regime, and high collection new development;s of room temperature sin- gle photon emission in the strong coupling regime are reviewed. The generation of indistinguishable photons and remaining challenges for pract ical single-photon sources are also discussed.     

Photon number cumulant expansion and generating function for photon added- and subtracted-two-mode squeezed states

For the first time, we derive the photon number cumulant for two-mode squeezed state and show that its cumulant expansion leads to normalization of two-mode photon subtracted-squeezed states and photon added- squeezed states. We show that the normalization is related to Jacobi polynomial, so the cumulant expansion in turn represents the new generating function of Jacobi polynomial.     

超导单光子探测器件直流特性研究

超导单光子探测技术是基于超薄超导薄膜的非平衡态热电子效应的一种新型的单光子探测方法。超导单光子探测器(SNSPD)的计数率可达到GHz,时间抖动小于100ps,因而在未来量子通信系统中有着广阔的应用前景。介绍了NbN超导单光子探测器件的工作原理和器件超导性能测试系统;测试了超导单光子探测器件的电阻-温度、电流-电压等特性。并对测试结果进行了分析和讨论。