基于压缩光的量子精密测量

对任何物理量的测量都有一定的噪声, 经典测量所能达到的最小噪声一般称为散粒噪声, 对应着测量的标准量子极限. 利用压缩光可以突破标准量子极限, 从而提高测量精度. 本文介绍了压缩态光场用于突破标准量子极限的基本原理, 以及压缩态光场在相位测量、光学横向小位移及倾斜测量、磁场测量以及时钟同步等精密测量领域的应用和最新进展.     

Quantum limits in the measurement of very small displacements in optical images

We consider the problem of the measurement of very small displacements in the transverse plane of an optical image with a split photodetector. We show that the standard quantum limit for such a measurement, which is equal to the diffraction limit divided by the square root of the number of photons used in the measurement, cannot be overcome by use of ordinary single-mode squeezed light. We give the form of possible multimode nonclassical states of light, enabling us to enhance by orders of magnitude the resolution of such a measurement beyond the standard quantum limit.     

Quantum improvement of time transfer between remote clocks

Exchanging light pulses to perform accurate space-time positioning is a paradigmatic issue of physics. It is ultimately limited by the quantum nature of light, which introduces fluctuations in the optical measurements and leads to the so-called standard quantum limit (SQL). We propose a new scheme combining homodyne detection and mode-locked femtosecond lasers that lead to a new SQL in time transfer, potentially reaching the yoctosecond range (10(-21)-10(-24) s). We demonstrate that this already very low SQL can be overcome using appropriately multimode squeezed light. Benefitting from the large number of photons and from the optimal choice of both the detection strategy and of the quantum resource, the proposed scheme represents a significant potential improvement in space-time positioning.     

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 limits on optical resolution

We discuss the ultimate limit imposed by quantum fluctuations of light for resolution of fine details in optical images. For this purpose, we extend in the quantum domain the classical analysis of the object reconstruction, or superresolution, in terms of prolate spheroidal function basis. We derive the expression for ultimate resolution limit in the reconstructed object using an illumination of the full object plane by a multimode squeezed vacuum. We show that the gain in resolution using multimode squeezed light is maximum when the Shannon number of the imaging system is close to unity.     

Generation and characterization of multimode quantum frequency combs

Multimode nonclassical states of light are an essential resource in quantum computation with continuous variables, for example, in cluster state computation. We report in this Letter the first experimental evidence of a multimode nonclassical frequency comb in a femtosecond synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator. In addition to a global reduction of its quantum intensity fluctuations, the system features quantum correlations between different parts of its frequency spectrum. This allows us to show that the frequency comb is composed of several uncorrelated eigenmodes having specific spectral shapes, two of them at least being squeezed, and to characterize their spectral shapes.     

Single InAs/InP quantum dot spectroscopy in 1.3–1.55 μm telecommunication band

We present an optical spectroscopy and photon correlation measurement at telecommunication wavelengths performed on single InAs/InP quantum dots. Two main approaches brought high optical quality: an application of a ‘double-cap’ growth method to metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and fabrication of a small mesa structure using low-damage wet chemical etching. Sharp and discrete exciton transition lines have been observed on the single quantum dots, which widely cover the spectral range of 1.3–1.55 μm. Using a pulsed excitation source and gated single-photon detection modules, we observed a photon antibunching behavior for an isolated exciton emission line, indicating nonclassical light emission near the wavelength of 1.3 μm.     

光场压缩态的产生及其在亚散粒噪声光学测量和量子信息中的应用

光场压缩态是一种非经典光场,它在超标准量子极限（SQL）的高精度光学测量、超低噪声光通信及量限通信等有着广泛应用前景,是物理学和信息科学交叉前沿研究课题,文章介绍了光场压缩态的产生及它在亚散粒噪声光学测量（sub-shot-noise=limit opical measurement）和量子信息中的重要应用。     

Generation and application of twin beams from an optical parametric oscillator including an alpha-cut KTP crystal

Measurement slight amounts of absorption of light with accuracy beyond the standard quantum limit has been experimentally demonstrated. The quantum-correlated twin beams used in the measurement were generated from a nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator including an alpha-cut KTiOPO(4) crystal pumped by an intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. The noise in the intensity difference between the twin beams was reduced by 88% below the standard quantum limit (SQL). The signal-to-noise ratio was improved by 7 dB with respect to the SQL of the total light employed in the experiment and by 4 dB with respect to that of the signal light.     

Quantum lithography: Toward entangled-photon optics

The advantages of using nonclassical states of light for optical imaging are discussed, with special emphasis on the new field of quantum optical lithography. The classical resolution limit given by the Rayleigh criterion is approximately half of the optical wavelength. However, it has been argued that, by using special quantum states of light and a multiphoton-sensitive material or detector, this limit can be broken. Here, a brief and rigorous overview of this problem is provided, some particularly widespread misconceptions are addressed, and turning quantum lithography into a practical technology is discussed.     

Generation of temporal multimode squeezed states of femtosecond pulse light

Nonclassical optical frequency combs play essential roles in quantum computation in the continuous variable regime. In this work, we generate multimode nonclassical frequency comb states using a degenerate type-I synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator and directly observe the squeezing of the leading five temporal modes of femtosecond pulsed light. The overlapping spectra of these modes mean that the temporal modes are suitable for use in real-world quantum information applications.     

Quantum fluctuations in holographic teleportation of optical images

We investigate in detail the quantum fluctuations in the quantum holographic teleportation protocol that we recently proposed [11]. This protocol implements a continuous variable teleportation scheme that enables the transfer of the quantum state of spatially multimode electromagnetic fields, preserving their quantum correlations in space-time, and can be used to perform teleportation of 2D optical images. We derive a characteristic functional, which provides any arbitrary spatio-temporal correlation function of the teleported field, and calculate the fidelity of the teleportation scheme for multimode Gaussian input states. We show that for multimode light fields one has to distinguish between a global and a reduced fidelity. While the global fidelity tends to vanish for teleportation of fields with many degrees of freedom, the reduced fidelity can be made close to unity by choosing properly the number of essential degrees of freedom and the spatial bandwidth of the EPR beams used in the teleportation scheme.Received: 16 March 2004, Published online: 11 May 2004PACS: 03.67.-a Quantum information - 03.65.Bz Foundations, theory of measurement, miscellaneous theories (including Aharonov-Bohm effect, Bell inequalities, Berrys phase) - 42.50.Dv Nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field, including entangled photon states; quantum state engineering and measurements     

多模式固态量子存储

量子存储器是光子与物质系统之间的接口,允许存入和读出加载了量子信息的光子,是构建实用化量子网络的核心器件.基于稀土掺杂晶体可以实现固态的量子存储器,较长的相干时间和较宽的存储带宽使其成为目前最有潜力的量子物理系统之一.本文综述近年来基于稀土掺杂晶体的多模式固态量子存储方面的实验进展.主要内容包括频率自由度的多模式量子存储、时间自由度的多模式量子存储、空间自由度的多模式量子存储和多个自由度并行复用的多模式量子存储.在多自由度复用的多模式存储的基础上进一步介绍基于量子存储器的量子模式变换和实时的任意操作.该系列工作为构建高速率的实用化量子网络奠定基础,其中超越存储器本身的脉冲操作功能还有望在未来量子信息处理过程中获得广泛的应用.     

腔光力学系统中的量子测量

腔光力学系统近年来迅猛发展, 在精密测量、量子传感等方面已展现出重要的应用价值. 特别是与微纳技术和冷原子技术结合后, 这一系统正发展成为研究量子测量与量子操控的理想平台. 本文首先综述腔光力学在量子测量, 尤其是量子测量基础理论研究方面的进展; 然后分析腔光力学系统中的量子测量原理; 最后介绍我们近来在这方面的研究进展, 并通过我们设计的一系列新颖的基于腔光力学系统的量子测量方案来具体展示该系统在量子测量、量子操控等方面的潜在应用.     

Entanglement in optical parametric down-conversion with losses and noise

We show that radiation generated in optical parametric down-conversion with losses and noise is entangled for all times if the coupling coefficient is higher than half of damping constant and the product of damping constant and mean number of noise photons. For the process stimulated by means of chaotic light there is a saturable bound of its intensity for the generation of nonclassical light. Otherwise the quantum behaviour and entanglement are fully reduced. Under some restrictions for noise nonclassical light can also be generated at and below the threshold.     

Quantum coherent versus classical coherent light

The paper shows that the Wigner distribution function of quantum optical coherent states, or of a superposition of such states, can be produced and measured with a classical optical set-up using classical coherent light fields. This measurement cannot be done directly in quantum optics since the quantum phase space variables correspond to non-commuting operators. As an example, the Wigner distribution function of Schrödinger cat states of light has been measured. It is also shown that the possibility of measuring the Wigner distribution function of quantum coherent states with classical coherent fields is unique in the sense that it cannot be extended to other quantum states, not even to the incoherent limit of the superposition of coherent states.     

Nonclassical effect in the MIT output coupler for the Bose–Einstein condensate

A quantum dynamical theory for output coupler of the trapped Bose–Einstein condensate is presented under no rotating wave approximation (RWA) based on the MIT experiment (Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) 582) for the atom laser. We show that the nonclassical properties, such as sub-Poisson distribution and quadrature squeezing effect, can exist in the outcoupled atomic pulse as time evolves, which indicates an interesting optical control on quantum statistics of the atom laser through varying the strength of the input light.     

Quantum structures due to fluctuations of the measurement situation

We analyze the meaning of the nonclassical aspects of quantum structures. We proceed by introducing a simple mechanistic macroscopic experimental situation that gives rise to quantum-like structures. We use this situation as a guiding example for our attempts to explain the origin of the nonclassical aspects of quantum structures. We see that the quantum probabilities can be introduced as a consequence of the presence of fluctuations on the experimental apparatuses, and show that the full quantum structure can be obtained in this way. We define the classical limit as the physical situation that arises when the fluctuations on the experiment apparatuses disappear. In the limit case we come to a classical structure, but in between we find structures that are neither quantum nor classical. In this sense, our approach not only gives an explanation for the nonclassical structure of quantum theory, but also makes it possible to define and study the structure describing the intermediate new situations. By investigating how the nonlocal quantum behavior disappears during the limiting process, we can explain theapparentlocality of the classical macroscopic world. We come to the conclusion that quantum structures are the ordinary structures of reality, and that our difficulties of becoming aware of this fact are due to prescientific prejudices, some of which we point out.     

Quantum optical coherence tomography of a biological sample

Quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT) makes use of an entangled-photon light source to carry out dispersion-immune axial optical sectioning. We present the first experimental QOCT images of a biological sample: an onion-skin tissue coated with gold nanoparticles. 3D images are presented in the form of 2D sections of different orientations. In the context of quantum information, this represents the first experiment in which a quantum-entangled entity interacts with a biological specimen, generating a collection of quantum interferograms, from which an image is constructed.     

真空场注入4SMES光场广义电场的4m+2次和压缩

根据量子力学中态的线性叠加原理,构造了由多模真空态、多模相干态、多模相干态的相反态和多模虚相干态的线性叠加所组成的真空场注入四态叠加多模纠缠态(即4SMES)光场.利用多模压缩态理论研究了上述光场中广义电场分量的等幂次高次和压缩特性.结果发现:真空场注入4SMES光场是一种典型的四态叠加多模非经典光场;在一定条件下,该光场的广义电场分量可呈现出周期性变化的广义非线性等幂4m+2次和压缩效应.