压缩态光场平衡零拍探测的位相锁定

平衡零拍探测是测量量子光场的重要方法之一. 通过对相位灵敏光学参量放大器注入的信号进行位相调制, 然后利用平衡零拍探测系统测量光学参量放大器输出的压缩光. 将相位灵敏光学参量分别运转在参量放大和参量缩小, 通过观察噪声谱中的调制信号就可确定测量的量子光场是正交振幅或位相分量. 通过解调位相调制信号可获得误差信号, 实现锁定平衡零拍探测系统本底光与待测光场相对位相为零(对应于待测光场振幅噪声分量). 关键词： 平衡零拍探测 位相锁定     

Experimental measurement of covariance matrix of two-mode entangled state

A two-mode entangled state was generated experimentally through mixing two squeezed lights from two optical parametric amplifiers on a 50/50 beam splitter.The entangled beams were measured by means of two pairs of balanced homodyne detection systems respectively.The relative phases between the local beams and the detected beams can be locked by using the optical phase modulation technique.The covariance matrix of the two-mode entangled state was obtained when the relative phase of the local beam and the detected beam in one homodyne detection system is locked and the other is scanned.This method provides a way by which one can extract the covariance matrix of any selected quadrature components of two-mode Gaussian state.     

Continuous variable quantum communication with bright entangled optical beams

In this paper, we briefly introduce the basic concepts and protocols of continuous variable quantum communication, and then summarize the experimental researches accomplished by our group in this field. The main features of quantum communication systems used in our experiments are: (1) The bright entangled optical beams with the anticorrelated amplitude quadratures and the correlated phase quadratures that serve as the entanglement resources and (2) The Bell-state direct detection systems are utilized in the measurements of quantum entanglement and transmitted signals instead of the usually balanced homodyne detectors.     

Characterization of ultrashort optical pulse properties by amplitude-modulation-balanced heterodyne gating

We present a general approach for the measurement of the properties of optical pulses by exploiting features of the optical carrier domain. We demonstrate the principle of a novel balanced detection scheme that avoids the difficulties associated with homodyne detection in the baseband used in linear optical sampling methods so far. The residual timing instability of the repetition rate synchronization between mode-locked lasers is measured with the new detection technique.     

Efficient homodyne measurement of picosecond squeezed pulses with pulse shaping technique

We report on the detection of picosecond pulsed squeezed light generated by an optical parametric amplification in a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO(3) waveguide. By using a temporally shaped local oscillator in a balanced homodyne detection, we obverved the squeezing of -5.0 dB below the shot noise level. The squeezing level at the exit of the waveguide was estimated to be -9.7±0.8 dB.     

平衡零拍测量对连续变量量子密钥分配的影响

与单光子量子密钥分配采用单光子探测器不同，连续变量量子密钥分配采用平衡零拍测量技术.分析了由于参考光的真空噪声、分束器的透射率和反射率不相等引入的平衡零拍测量误差，以及平衡零拍测量探测器的电子噪声对连续变量量子密钥传输的最大安全距离的限制，给出了平衡零拍测量的探测噪声、电子噪声和密钥量之间的定量表达式.     

Multilayer optical disc system using homodyne detection

A write/read system using high-productivity multilayer optical discs was developed. The recording medium used in the system consists of planar recording layers and a separated guide layer, and is fabricated by web coating and lamination process. The recording layers in the medium are made of one-photon-absorption material, on which data can be recorded with a normal laser diode. The developed system is capable of focusing and tracking on the medium and amplifying readout signals by using phase-diversity homodyne detection. A highly layer-selective focusing method using homodyne detection was also proposed. This method obtains stable focus-error signals with clearly separated S-shaped curves even when layer spacing is quite narrow, causing large interlayer crosstalk. Writing on the medium and reading with the signal amplification effect of homodyne detection was demonstrated. In addition, the effectiveness of the method was experimentally evaluated.     

Pulse synthesis in the single-cycle regime from independent mode-locked lasers using attosecond-precision feedback

We report the synthesis of a nearly single-cycle (3.7?fs), ultrafast optical pulse train at 78?MHz from the coherent combination of a passively mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser (6?fs pulses) and a fiber supercontinuum (1-1.4?μm, with 8?fs pulses). The coherent combination is achieved via orthogonal, attosecond-precision synchronization of both pulse envelope timing and carrier envelope phase using balanced optical cross-correlation and balanced homodyne detection, respectively. The resulting pulse envelope, which is only 1.1 optical cycles in duration, is retrieved with two-dimensional spectral shearing interferometry (2DSI). To our knowledge, this work represents the first stable synthesis of few-cycle pulses from independent laser sources.     

Universal measurement of quantum correlations of radiation

A measurement technique is proposed which, in principle, allows one to observe the general space-time correlation properties of a quantized radiation field. Our method, called balanced homodyne correlation measurement, unifies the advantages of balanced homodyne detection with those of homodyne correlation measurements.     

Time division vector optical sampling for ultrafast amplitude/phase modulation device characterization

A technique is proposed and demonstrated for measuring the waveforms of optical signals by making use of homodyne in-phase and quadrature detection combined with nonlinear optical sampling. The technique is based on time division sampling of electric field components with a discretely phase-modulated local oscillator light and is applied for the evaluation of the ultrafast response in a semiconductor optical amplifier.     

平衡零拍探测器的改进

平衡零拍探测技术是连续变量量子信息科学研究中测量量子态量子噪声的最佳方法之一。在平衡零拍探测系统中,需要一对性能和结构尽量相同的光电探测器,以便很好地减去经典噪声,有效探测散粒噪声基准及光场噪声。根据基尔霍夫电流定律及光电二极管串联的办法,设计并制作出一种性能优良的低噪声平衡零拍探测器。该探测器从光电二极管串联节点处取出光电流相减信号,然后对信号进行放大,在对两探测器全同性要求降低的同时提高了平衡零拍探测的性能。实验结果表明,该探测器在2MHz处共模抑制比达39dB,能很好地满足量子信息对低噪声、线性增益及高共模抑制比的要求。     

Rapid pulse shaping with homodyne detection for measuring nonlinear optical signals

We have designed a common-mode interferometric acousto-optic pulse shaper that is capable of shaping individual pulses differently from a mode-locked laser. The design enables the measurement of weak nonlinear optical signals such as two-photon absorption and self-phase modulation at megahertz rates. The experimental apparatus incorporates homodyne detection as a means of resolving the phase of the detected signals. The fast data acquisition rate and the ability to perform measurements in scattering media make this experimental apparatus amenable to imaging applications analogous to measurements of two-photon fluorescence using a mode-locked laser.     

Detection of 13.8 dB squeezed vacuum states by optimizing the interference efficiency and gain of balanced homodyne detection

Squeezed states belong to the most prominent non-classical resources. They have compelling applications in precise measurement, quantum computation, and detection. Here, we report on the direct measurement of 13.8 d B squeezed vacuum states by improving the interference efficiency and gain of balanced homodyne detection. By employing an auxiliary laser beam, the homodyne visibility is increased to 99.8%. The equivalent loss of the electronic noise is reduced to 0.05% by integrating a junction field-effect transistor(JFET) buffering input and another JFET bootstrap structure in the balanced homodyne detector.     

Generation of pulsed squeezed light in a mode-locked optical parametric oscillator

The generation of pulsed squeezed light using an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is discussed. This mode-locked optical parametric oscillator consists of a nonlinear crystal in a cavity which is resonant for both signal and idler waves and which is synchronously pumped by the second-harmonic of an acousto-optically mode-locked cw Nd: YAG laser. The fundamental wavelength of the pump laser provides local oscillator pulses for balanced homodyne detection of squeezed vacuum pulses emitted by the oscillator when operated below oscillation threshold. Photocurrent noise reduction to 30% below the classical shot-noise limit is observed, corresponding to squeezing of the field to a level approximately a factor of two below the mean square vacuum noise.     

基于信道估计的自适应连续变量量子密钥分发方法

为使连续变量量子密钥分发协议获得稳定的密钥生成率,需要根据信道变化动态调整发送光脉冲的强度.将光纤量子信道看作加性玻色量子高斯信道,给出高斯态通过玻色量子高斯信道仍得到高斯态的证明过程.通过平衡零差检测后,采用最大似然估计法得到了信道参数,进而根据估计的噪声大小自适应调整Alice发送的光脉冲的强度,从而获得稳定的密钥生成率. 关键词： 量子密钥分发 连续变量 玻色量子高斯信道 信道估计     

Polarization shift keying (POLSK) phase diversity homodyne system with multiplying detection in coherent optical communications

We propose a Polarization Shift Keying (POLSK) phase diversity homo-dyne system with multiplying detection in coherent optical communications. The proposed system uses only one of three Stokes parameters, which is the phase difference between two orthogonal polarizations. Although such systems using only one Stokes parameter are very sensitive to polarization fluctuation, the proposed system becomes insensitive to the linear polarization fluctuation by using the multiplying detection with a combination of in-phase and quadrature optical signal components on two orthogonal polarizations. Furthermore, insensitivity to phase noise and offset frequency and attractiveness due to homodyne type in high-speed transmissions are maintained. The most attractive feature of the proposed system is that neither a polarization controller nor electronic feedback loop for matching the state of polarization (SOP) between transmitted and local oscillator (LO) optical signals is needed. We theoretically analyze the receiver sensitivity and the power penalties of the proposed system for the cases of the elliptical SOP of received optical signals and the imbalance optical 90° hybrid.     

Ultrasensitive pulsed, balanced homodyne detector: application to time-domain quantum measurements

A pulsed, balanced homodyne detector has been developed for precise measurement of the electric field quadratures of pulsed optical quantum states. A high level of common mode suppression (>85 dB) and low electronic noise (730 electrons per pulse) provide a signal-to-noise ratio of 14 dB for measurement of the quantum noise of individual pulses. Measurements at repetition rates as high as 1 MHz are possible. As a test, quantum tomography of the coherent state was performed, and the Wigner function and the density matrix were reconstructed with 99.5% fidelity. The detection system can be used for ultrarsensitive balanced detection in cw mode, e.g., for weak absorption measurements.     

Coherent control of vacuum squeezing in the gravitational-wave detection band

We propose and demonstrate a coherent control scheme for stable phase locking of squeezed vacuum fields. We focus on sideband fields at frequencies from 10 Hz to 10 kHz, which is a frequency regime of particular interest in gravitational-wave detection and for which conventional control schemes have failed so far. A vacuum field with broadband squeezing covering this entire band was produced using optical parametric oscillation and characterized with balanced homodyne detection. The system was stably controlled over long periods utilizing two coherent but frequency shifted control fields. In order to demonstrate the performance of our setup the squeezed field was used for a nonclassical sensitivity improvement of a Michelson interferometer at audio frequencies.     

Retrodiction for coherent communication with homodyne or heterodyne detection

Previous work on the retrodictive theory of direct detection is extended to cover the homodyne detection of coherent optical signal states and . The retrodictive input state probabilities are obtained by the application of Bayes' theorem to the corresponding predictive distributions, based on the probability operator measure (POM) elements for the homodyne process. Results are derived for the retrodictive information on the complex amplitude of the signal field obtainable from the difference photocount statistics of both 4-port and 8-port balanced homodyne detection schemes. The local oscillator is usually assumed much stronger than the signal but the case of equal strengths in 4-port detection is also considered. The calculated probability distributions and error rates are illustrated numerically for values of signal and local oscillator strengths that extend from the classical to the quantum regimes.     

Two-mode homodyne tomography of time-encoded single-photon ebits

We have developed a technique for dual-temporal-mode, ultrafast, time-domain, balanced homodyne detection. We have tested it by performing homodyne measurements on pairs of picosecond-duration temporal modes (or “time bins”) carrying a delocalized single photon. The experimental homodyne data have been used to reconstruct both the density matrix and the two-mode Wigner function of the delocalized state, thus showing the correlations existing between the pair of temporal modes carrying the single photon.