Detection loophole in asymmetric bell experiments

The problem of closing the detection loophole with asymmetric systems, such as entangled atom-photon pairs, is addressed. We show that, for the Bell inequality I3322, a minimal detection efficiency of 43% can be tolerated for one of the particles, if the other one is always detected. We also study the influence of noise and discuss the prospects of experimental implementation.     

读出效率对光与原子纠缠产生的影响

在光与原子纠缠态产生中,自旋波读出效率是影响纠缠质量的一个重要因素.本文在实验和理论上研究了读出效率与纠缠质量(Bell参量)的关系.实验上利用~(87)Rb冷原子系综中的自发Raman散射过程产生了光与原子量子纠缠.通过改变读光功率或OD (光学厚度),实现了读出效率的变化.在此基础上,研究了光与原子纠缠质量(Bell参量)随读出效率变化的关系.该实验将为高保真度的光与原子纠缠产生提供帮助.     

Observation of entanglement of a single photon with a trapped atom

We report the observation of entanglement between a single trapped atom and a single photon at a wavelength suitable for low-loss communication over large distances, thereby achieving a crucial step towards long range quantum networks. To verify the entanglement, we introduce a single atom state analysis. This technique is used for full state tomography of the atom-photon qubit pair. The detection efficiency and the entanglement fidelity are high enough to allow in a next step the generation of entangled atoms at large distances, ready for a final loophole-free Bell experiment.     

Scheme for Generation of Maximally Entangled States via Entanglement Swapping

Based on two atoms and two cavities initially in two pairs of atom-photon nonmaximally entangled states, we propose a relatively simple scheme to create maximally entangled photon-photon and atom-photon states via entanglement swapping using techniques of cavity QED inspired by the scheme proposed in [Phys. Rev. A 71 (2005)044302] and [Phys. Rev. A 71 (2005) 034312]. Our scheme does not involve the measurement in Bell basis, we only require detecting the states of atoms.     

Scheme for Generation of Maximally Entangled States via Entanglement Swapping

Based on two atoms and two cavities initially in two pairs of atom-photon nonmaximally entangled states, we propose a relatively simple scheme to create maximally entangled photon-photon and atom-photon states via entanglement swapping using techniques of cavity QED inspired by the scheme proposed in [Phys. Rev. A 71 （2005） 044302] and [Phys. Rev. A 71 （2005） 034312]. Our scheme does not involve the measurement in Bell basis, we only require detecting the states of atoms.     

Bipartite bell inequalities for hyperentangled states

We show that bipartite Bell inequalities based on the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen criterion for elements of reality and derived from the properties of some hyperentangled states allow feasible experimental verification of the fact that quantum nonlocality grows exponentially with the size of the subsystems, and Bell loophole-free tests with currently available photodetection efficiencies.     

Entanglement of a photon and a collective atomic excitation

We describe a new experimental approach to probabilistic atom-photon (signal) entanglement. Two qubit states are encoded as orthogonal collective spin excitations of an unpolarized atomic ensemble. After a programmable delay, the atomic excitation is converted into a photon (idler). Polarization states of both the signal and the idler are recorded and are found to be in violation of the Bell inequality. Atomic coherence times exceeding several microseconds are achieved by switching off all the trapping fields--including the quadrupole magnetic field of the magneto-optical trap--and zeroing out the residual ambient magnetic field.     

Towards Loophole-Free Optical Bell Test of CHSH Inequality

Bell test had been suggested to end the long-standing debate on the EPR paradox, while the imperfections of experimental devices induce some loopholes in Bell test experiments and hence the assumption of local reality by EPR cannot be excluded with current experimental results. In optical Bell test experiments, the locality loophole can be closed easily, while the attempt of closing detection loophole requires very high efficiency of single photon detectors. Previous studies showed that the violation of Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality with maximally entangled states requires the detection efficiency to be higher than 82.8 %. In this paper, we raise a modified CHSH inequality that covers all measurement events including the efficient and inefficient detections in the Bell test and prove that all local hidden models can be excluded when the inequality is violated. We find that, when non-maximally entangled states are applied to the Bell test, the lowest detection efficiency for violation of the present inequality is 66.7 %. This makes it feasible to close the detection loophole and the locality loophole simultaneously in optical Bell test of CHSH inequality.     

Discrete photodetection for protocols of linear optical quantum calculations and communications

A theory of a discrete photodetection method is developed in which an atomic packet in a microresonator is used as a probe. Such a detector is adjusted by selecting the number of atoms in the packet, the constant of interaction between the mode under study and atoms and the interaction duration. The possibility is analyzed for using this detector to distinguish one-photon and two-photon Fock states and applications in protocols of linear optical quantum measurements and communications. A protocol of a Bell-state analyzer is prepared that allows one to distinguish all the four Bell states constructed on the polarization states of a photon pair.     

Event‐by‐event simulation of quantum phenomena

A discrete‐event simulation approach is reviewed that does not require the knowledge of the solution of the wave equation of the whole system, yet reproduces the statistical distributions of wave theory by generating detection events one‐by‐one. The simulation approach is illustrated by applications to a two‐beam interference experiment and two Bell test experiments, an Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen‐Bohm experiment with single photons employing post‐selection for pair identification and a single‐neutron Bell test interferometry experiment with nearly 100 % detection efficiency.     

Directional "superradiant" collisions: bosonic amplification of atom pairs emitted from an elongated Bose-Einstein condensate

We study spontaneous directionality in the bosonic amplification of atom pairs emitted from an elongated Bose-Einstein condensate, an effect analogous to superradiant emission of atom-photon pairs. Using a simplified model, we make analytic predictions regarding directional effects for both atom-atom and atom-photon emission. These are confirmed by numerical mean-field simulations, demonstrating the feasibility of nearly perfect directional emission along the condensate axis. The dependence of the emission angle on the pump strength for atom-atom pairs is significantly different than for atom-photon pairs.     

Quantum limit for the atom-light interferometer

The standard quantum limit is calculated for the atom-light interferometer. It is shown that the smallest detectable phase is $$\delta \phi _{\min } = \frac{1}{2}[N_{atoms} + 4N_{photons} )/N_{atoms} N_{photons} ]^{1/2} .$$ Therefore, in practical experiments, the accuracy is limited by the square root of the number of atoms. We propose a novel correlated atom-photon state interferometer which makes a transition to the Heisenberg limit, δφ_min ∝ 1/N _atoms, as the atoms approach a Bose condensate. Such an interferometer may serve as a sensitive probe of the onset of Bose condensation. Finally, we point out that the correlated atom-photon state preparation scheme we propose may be used in a different way to approach the Heisenberg limit for non-Bose-condensed atoms.     

Scheme for entangling atom-photon pairs via an input light in superposition state

We propose a feasible scheme to create macroscopically entangled atom-photon pairs by preparing an input optical superposition state. Several interesting non-classical quantum statistical effects like the atomic squeezed effects are clearly demonstrated. The making and manipulation of entangled atom-photon pairs are useful for, e.g., high-precision interferometry and quantum information science.     

On the implication of Bell’s probability distribution and proposed experiments of quantum measurement

In derivating of Bell’s inequalities, the probability distribution is supposed to be a function only of a hidden variable. We point out that the true implication of the probability distribution of Bell’s correlation function is the distribution of joint measurement outcomes on the two sides. It is therefore a function of both the hidden variable and the settings. In this case, Bell’s inequalities fail. Our further analysis shows that Bell’s locality holds neither for dependent events nor for independent events. We think that the measurements of EPR pairs are dependent events, and hence violation of Bell’s inequalities cannot rule out the existence of local hidden variable. To explain the results of EPR-type experiments, we suppose that a polarization-entangled photon pair can be composed of two circularly or linearly polarized photons with correlated hidden variables, and a couple of experiments of quantum measurement are proposed. The first uses delayed measurement on one photon of the EPR pair to demonstrate directly whether measurement on the other could have any nonlocal influence on it. Then several experiments are suggested to reveal the components of the polarization-entangled photon pair. The last one uses successive polarization measurements on a pair of EPR photons to show that two photons with the same quantum state behave the same under the same measuring conditions.     

Atom-photon cluster as an elementary emitter

The interaction of an atomic ensemble localized in a microcavity with external electromagnetic fields under Raman resonance conditions with an optically forbidden atomic transition involving photons of the microcavity mode has been described in terms of third-order polynomial algebra. It has been shown that atoms and photons localized in the microcavity under these conditions form a united object, an atom-photon cluster, on the states of which the irreducible representations of polynomial algebra are implemented. Classical coherent and quantum broadband electromagnetic fields are considered as external fields. The effective Hamiltonian, effective dipole moment operator, and relaxation operator of the atom-photon cluster are expressed in terms of the generators of polynomial algebra, which is the algebra of the dynamical symmetry of the problem. The developed mathematical technique has been applied to describe the main radiative processes—spontaneous emission and nutation effect—on atom-photon clusters. All of these effects are peculiar and differ from similar phenomena on two-level atoms, but only simple cases of the mentioned radiative processes have been considered.     

Demonstration of a stable atom-photon entanglement source for quantum repeaters

We demonstrate a novel way to efficiently create a robust entanglement between an atomic and a photonic qubit. A single laser beam is used to excite one atomic ensemble and two different modes of Raman fields are collected to generate the atom-photon entanglement. With the help of built-in quantum memory, the entanglement still exists after 20.5 micros storage time which is further proved by the violation of Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt type Bell's inequality. The entanglement procedure can serve as a building block for a novel robust quantum repeater architecture [Zhao, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 240502 (2007)10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.240502] and can be extended to generate high-dimensional atom-photon entanglements.     

Ultrahigh-sensitivity high-linearity photodetection system using a low-gain avalanche photodiode with an ultralow-noise readout circuit

A highly sensitive photodetection system with a detection limit of 1 photon/s was developed. This system uses a commercially available 200-microm-diameter silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) and an in-house-developed ultralow-noise readout circuit, which are both cooled to 77 K. When the APD operates at a low gain of approximately 10, it has a high-linearity response to the number of incident photons and a low excess noise factor. The APD also has a high quantum efficiency and a dark current of less than 1 e/s at 77 K. This photodetection system will shorten measurement time and permit higher spatial and wavelength resolution for near-field scanning optical microscopes.     

Preparation of bell states with controlled white noise

We report two methods for producing Bell States with an arbitrary amount of white noise. White noise in this context refers to controlled admixtures of unpolarized light. Our methods differ from previous experiments in that we use the minimum necessary elements for generating a Bell state by c-w spontaneous parametric down conversion. We also investigated the spectral properties of a mixed state and show that one of our methods introduces irreversible noise into the Bell state, making a permanent mixed state.     

Proposal for a loophole-free Bell test using homodyne detection

We propose a feasible optical setup allowing for a loophole-free Bell test with efficient homodyne detection. A non-Gaussian entangled state is generated from a two-mode squeezed vacuum by subtracting a single photon from each mode, using beam splitters and standard low-efficiency single-photon detectors. A Bell violation exceeding 1% is achievable with 6 dB squeezed light and a homodyne efficiency around 95%. A detailed feasibility analysis, based upon the recent experimental generation of single-mode non-Gaussian states, suggests that this method opens a promising avenue towards a complete experimental Bell test.