Evaluation of polarization entanglement generated by spontaneous parametric downconversion using photon number counting

Spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) is widely used to generate entangled photon pairs; however, multi-pair emissions degrade the quality of the entanglement. We numerically evaluate polarization-entangled photon pairs created by SPDC. The effects of multi-pair emission events on the visibility of two-photon interference and on the fidelity (the probability overlap for ideal and real states) are analyzed using single-photon detectors that can count the number of incoming photons and discard multiphoton events. Compared with conventional threshold single-photon detectors, photon-number resolving single-photon detectors have higher fidelity for the same or lower visibility.     

A Simple Method on Generating any Bi-Photon Superposition State with Linear Optics

We present a simple method on the generation of any bi-photon superposition state using only linear optics.In this scheme, the input states, a two-mode squeezed state and a bi-photon state, meet on a beam-splitter and the output states are post-selected with two threshold single-photon detectors. We carry out corresponding numerical simulations by accounting for practical experimental conditions, calculating both the Wigner function and the state fidelity of those generated bi-photon superposition states. Our simulation results demonstrate that not only distinct nonclassical characteristics but also very high state fidelities can be achieved even under imperfect experimental conditions.     

Single-photon wavefront-splitting interference

We present a new realization of the textbook experiment consisting in single-photon interference based on the pulsed, optically excited photoluminescence of a single colour centre in a diamond nanocrystal. Interferences are created by wavefront-splitting with a Fresnel’s biprism and observed by registering the “single-photon clicks” with an intensified CCD camera. This imaging detector provides also a real-time movie of the build-up of the single-photon fringes. We perform a second experiment with two detectors sensitive to photons that follow either one or the other interference path. Evidence for single photon behaviour is then obtained from the absence of time coincidence between detections in these two paths. Electronic supplementary material Online Material -- Movies showing the built-up of the interference pattern Gradual build-up of the interference pattern can be observed in the animated movies presented hereafter.     

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.     

High-fidelity single-photon source based on a Type II optical parametric oscillator

Using a continuous-wave Type II optical parametric oscillator below threshold, we have demonstrated a novel source of heralded single photons with high fidelity. The generated state is characterized by homodyne detection and exhibits a 79% fidelity with a single-photon Fock state (91% after correction of detection loss). The low admixture of vacuum and the well-defined spatiotemporal mode are critical requirements for their subsequent use in quantum information processing.     

Ultra-low power anti-crosstalk collision avoidance light detection and ranging using chaotic pulse position modulation approach

A novel concept of collision avoidance single-photon light detection and ranging(LIDAR) for vehicles has been demonstrated, in which chaotic pulse position modulation is applied on the transmitted laser pulses for robust anti-crosstalk purposes. Besides, single-photon detectors(SPD) and time correlated single photon counting techniques are adapted, to sense the ultra-low power used for the consideration of compact structure and eye safety. Parameters including pulse rate, discrimination threshold, and number of accumulated pulses have been thoroughly analyzed based on the detection requirements, resulting in specified receiver operating characteristics curves. Both simulation and indoor experiments were performed to verify the excellent anti-crosstalk capability of the presented collision avoidance LIDAR despite ultra-low transmitting power.     

On the Efficiency of the Coincidence Search in Gravitational Wave Experiments

We discuss the problem of the detection of gravitational waves (GW) signals with small energy signal to noise ratio (SNR). We consider coincidence experiments between data processed by optimum filters matched to delta-like bursts. It is shown, by calculation and by simulation, that, because of the noise, the event lists produced by the same signals on different detectors, using the same filters, overlap only partially—about 30 percent for SNR close to the threshold used for defining the events. Furthermore, because of the noise, the correlation of the event energy between identical detectors is weak and cannot be used as a strong discriminator against noise in coincidence search, even for SNR = 10 or more.     

两个独立全光纤多通道光子纠缠源的Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉

独立光子源的干涉是实现复杂量子体系应用(比如多光子纠缠态产生和量子隐形传态等)的核心技术.利用100 GHz密集波分复用技术,实现了1.55μm全光纤多通道独立纠缠光子源的Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉,在不去除暗符合(随机符合计数)的情况下,可见度为53.2%±8.4%,去除暗符合可见度可达到82.9%±5.3%.给出了关于色散位移光纤中基于自发四波混频过程产生的单光子光谱纯度严格的理论描述,模拟了抽运脉冲宽度和滤波器带宽对单光子光谱纯度的影响,并给出了理论上的最佳条件(最佳的抽运脉冲宽度为8 ps,高斯滤波器带宽为40 GHz及以下).在测量Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉之前,先测量了液氮冷却状态下的色散位移光纤关联光子源的符合和随机符合比率,在抽运功率为23μW的情况下,最大比率可以达到131.Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉在高精度光学测量、测量装置无关的量子密钥分配等应用中扮演着极为重要的角色.     

A method to enhance coincidence time resolution with applications for medical imaging systems (TOF/PET)

A coincidence timing spectrometer was assembled using NaI(Tl) inorganic and BC418 type organic (plastic) scintillation detectors. The constant fraction timing method was used. Coincidence time resolution values of the detectors, which have great importance in TOF/PET measurements, were obtained separately. The resolutions were enhanced using a different method in a start-stop coincidence spectrometer: the signals from the start detectors were delayed. The results from the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation code agreed well with the experimental results.     

门控下InGaAs/InP单光子探测器用于符合测量的时域滤波特性研究

基于砷化镓/磷化铟雪崩光电二极管(InGaAs/InP APD)的半导体单光子探测器因工作在通信波段,且具有体积小、成本低、操作方便等优势,在实用化量子通信技术中发挥了重要作用.为尽可能避免暗计数和后脉冲对单光子探测的影响,InGaAs/InP单光子探测器广泛采用门控技术来快速触发和淬灭雪崩效应,有效门宽通常在纳秒量级.本文研究揭示了门控下单光子探测器可测量的最大符合时间宽度受限于门控脉冲的宽度,理论分析与实验结果良好拟合.该研究表明,门控下InGaAs/InP单光子探测器用于双光子符合测量具有显著的时域滤波特性,限制了其在基于双光子时间关联测量的量子信息技术中的应用.     

实验条件不完美对薛定谔猫态制备的影响

薛定谔猫态是一类重要的非经典光场,实验上可以通过真空压缩态减光子的方案获得.本文从理论上研究了实验条件对制备薛定谔猫态的影响,主要考虑了包括压缩态的压缩度和纯度、单光子探测器的效率及噪声以及零拍探测器的效率等诸多因素的影响.理想情况下通过减光子方案制备得到的薛定谔猫态为奇光子数态,其相空间原点的Wigner函数为负值是其非经典特性的重要判据,而保真度可以度量制备态与理想猫态之间的相似程度.在压缩态为非纯态以及单光子探测器为商用低效率阈值探测器的情况下,计算了制备猫态的保真度、Wigner函数及其相空间原点处W（0）的表达式,分析了实验条件对薛定谔猫态制备的影响,为制备高质量的薛定谔猫态提供了理论指导.     

Prompt proton decay scheme of (59)Cu

Five prompt proton decay lines have been identified between deformed states in (59)Cu and three spherical states in (58)Ni by means of high-resolution in-beam particle-gamma gamma coincidence spectroscopy. The GAMMASPHERE array coupled to dedicated ancillary detectors including four Delta E-E silicon strip detectors was used to study high-spin states in (59)Cu. The multiple discrete proton lines are found to probe the wave functions of states in the decay-out regime of well- and superdeformed states.     

Coherence of radiation as studied by multiple coincidences of photons and particles

Coincidences of photons and particles are measured by counting the number of events occurring simultaneously in two or more detectors. Coherent and incoherent radiation may have different behavior when the number of coincidence counts is studied with different arrangements of the coincidence detectors: the coincidence rate for the coherent radiation field, such as that obtained from a single-mode laser, is independent on the transverse separation between the detectors as long as the intensity of the radiation stays constant. On the other hand, with incoherent thermal radiation, using suitable monochromatization, the coincidence rate can show a significant bunching effect at detector separations smaller than the transverse coherence length. As a third alternative, photon antibunching may be observed if the radiation field is prepared in a number state, such as that available from resonance fluorescence of atoms, ions or molecules. If the time resolution of the detectors is not sufficient to resolve separate counts, corresponding effects can be observed in experiments, where the analog outputs of the detectors are multiplied to produce an intensity correlation signal. Intensity correlation and coincidence studies of photons and particles are reviewed in this report starting from the early experiments in the 1950’s and including recent work on X-ray coincidences and three-pion correlations. New results are presented for three- and four-photon coincidences at the X-ray wavelengths.     

Remote Quantum Information Concentration Via Weak Cross-Kerr Nonlinearity

By utilizing the quantum parity-check detectors (PCDs) based on the weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities, we propose a scheme for realizing the remote quantum information concentration (RQIC) with the quantum channel of four-photon bound entangled state. After the PCDs and single-photon operations, quantum information initially distributed in three spatially separated photons is concentrated back to a single photon without performing any global operations. The success probability of the scheme is almost a unit. The necessary single-photon unitary operations corresponding to possible measurement outcomes are given detailedly.     

Teleportation of a two-particle four-component squeezed vacuum state by linear optical elements

We present a linear optical scheme for achieving a unity fidelity teleportation of a two-particle four- component squeezed vacuum state using two entangled squeezed vacuum states as quantum channel. The devices used are beam splitters and ideal photon detectors capable of distinguishing between odd and even photon numbers. Moreover, we also obtain the success probability of the teleportation scheme.     

Linear-optical processing cannot increase photon efficiency

We answer the question whether linear-optical processing of the states produced by one or multiple imperfect single-photon sources can improve the single-photon fidelity. This processing can include arbitrary interferometers, coherent states, feedforward, and conditioning on results of detections. We show that without introducing multiphoton components, the single-photon fraction in any of the single-mode states resulting from such processing cannot be made to exceed the efficiency of the best available photon source. If multiphoton components are allowed, the single-photon fidelity cannot be increased beyond 1/2. We propose a natural general definition of the quantum-optical state efficiency, and show that it cannot increase under linear-optical processing.     

Determination of the time resolution for neutron scintillation detectors by multi-coincidence measurement

Based on the multi-coincidence measurement, the time resolution of three liquid scintillation detectors (BC501A) were determined strictly by solving the coincidence equations, where the influence from electronics estimated by self coincidence measurement as well as the background had been considered. The result of this work agreed well with the result that was deduced from the traditional method, and it will be helpful to analyze the energy resolution of neutron time of flight spectra measured by using such detectors at CIAE (China Institute of Atomic Energy).     

On the distribution of 1550-nm photon pairs efficiently generated using a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide

We report on efficient generation of 1550-nm photon pairs in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide using the spontaneous parametric down-conversion process. Such photon pairs are expected to find applications in fiber-based long-distance quantum communication. Pumping the waveguide with a pulsed semiconductor laser with a pulse rate of 800 kHz and a maximum average pump power of 50 μW, we obtain a coincidence rate of 600 s⁻¹. Despite only two single-photon detectors are used, we gain some information about the photon-number distribution. Our measurements are found to be in agreement with a Poissonian photon-pair distribution, but clearly differ from the expected outcomes for both conventional and two-mode squeezed states, the latter corresponding to a thermal photon-pair distribution. The Poissonian photon-pair distribution is also explained by comparing the coherence time of the pump light and of the detected photons. An average of 0.9 generated photon pairs per pulse can thus be inferred.     

NbN superconducting nanowire single photon detector with efficiency over 90% at 1550 nm wavelength operational at compact cryocooler temperature

The rapid development of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors over the past decade has led to numerous advances in quantum information technology. The record for the best system detection efficiency at an incident photon wavelength of 1550 nm is 93%. This performance was attained from a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector made of amorphous WSi; such detectors are usually operated at sub-Kelvin temperatures. In this study, we first demonstrate superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made of polycrystalline NbN with system detection efficiency of 90.2% for 1550-nm-wavelength photons at 2.1 K, accessible with a compact cryocooler. The system detection efficiency saturated at 92.1% when the temperature was lowered to 1.8 K. We expect the results lighten the practical and high performance superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to quantum information and other high-end applications.     

Simple experimental scheme of teleporting a two-qubit state via linear optical elements

We propose a simple experimental scheme in which an unknown two-qubit state is faithfully and deterministically teleported from Alice to Bob. The scheme is constructed with four photons from parametric down conversion, linear optical elements, and conventional photon detectors, all of which are available in current technology. It is shown that the probability of successful teleportation ideally reaches 100% based on single-photon two-qubit-assisted Bell-state measurement, which can distinguish all four Bell-states simultaneously via conventional photon detectors. By generalizing the scheme, the teleportation of an unknown multi-qubit system can also be realized.