arXiv subjects

A. Xuereb

Publications and source records attributed to A. Xuereb.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Nanoscale Quantum Optics

Nanoscale quantum optics explores quantum phenomena in nanophotonics systems for advancing fundamental knowledge in nano and quantum optics and for harnessing the laws of quantum physics in the development of new photonics-based technologies. Here, we review recent progress in the field with emphasis on four main research areas: Generation, detection, manipulation and storage of quantum states of light at the nanoscale, Nonlinearities and ultrafast processes in nanostructured media, Nanoscale quantum coherence, Cooperative effects, correlations and many-body physics tailored by strongly confined optical fields. The focus is both on basic developments and technological implications, especially for what concerns information and communication technology, sensing and metrology, and energy efficiency.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Cavity Mode Frequencies and Strong Optomechanical Coupling in Two-Membrane Cavity Optomechanics

We study the cavity mode frequencies of a Fabry-Pérot cavity containing two vibrating dielectric membranes. We derive the equations for the mode resonances and provide approximate analytical solutions for them as a function of the membrane positions, which act as an excellent approximation when the relative and center-of-mass position of the two membranes are much smaller than the cavity length. With these analytical solutions, one finds that extremely large optomechanical coupling of the membrane relative motion can be achieved in the limit of highly reflective membranes when the two membranes are placed very close to a resonance of the inner cavity formed by them. We also study the cavity finesse of the system and verify that, under the conditions of large coupling, it is not appreciably affected by the presence of the two membranes. The achievable large values of the ratio between the optomechanical coupling and the cavity decay rate, $g/κ$, make this two-membrane system the simplest promising platform for implementing cavity optomechanics in the strong coupling regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Out-of-equilibrium Thermodynamics of Quantum Optomechanical Systems

We address the out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics of an isolated quantum system consisting of a cavity optomechanical device. We explore the dynamical response of the system when driven out of equilibrium by a sudden quench of the coupling parameter and compute analytically the full distribution of the work generated by the process. We consider linear and quadratic optomechanical coupling, where the cavity field is parametrically coupled to either the position or the square of the position of a mechanical oscillator, respectively. In the former case we find that the average work generated by the quench is zero, whilst the latter leads to a non-zero average value. Through fluctuations theorems we access the most relevant thermodynamical figures of merit, such as the free energy difference and the amount of irreversible work generated. We thus provide a full characterization of the out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics in the quantum regime for nonlinearly coupled bosonic modes. Our study is the first due step towards the construction and full quantum analysis of an optomechanical machine working fully out of equilibrium.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Assessing the non-equilibrium thermodynamics in a quenched quantum many-body system via single projective measurements

We analyse the nature of the statistics of the work done on or by a quantum many-body system brought out of equilibrium. We show that, for the sudden quench and for an initial state which commutes with the initial Hamiltonian, it is possible to retrieve the whole non-equilibrium thermodynamics via single projective measurements of observables. We highlight in a physically clear way the qualitative implications for the statistics of work coming from considering processes described by operators that either commute or do not commute with the unperturbed Hamiltonian of a given system. We consider a quantum many-body system and derive an expression that allows us to give a physical interpretation, for a thermal initial state, to all of the cumulants of the work in the case of quenched operators commuting with the unperturbed Hamiltonian. In the commuting case the observables that we need to measure have an intuitive physical meaning. Conversely, in the non-commuting case we show that, although it is possible to operate fully within the single-measurement framework irrespectively of the size of the quench, some difficulties are faced in providing a clear-cut physical interpretation to the cumulants. This circumstance makes the study of the physics of the system non-trivial and highlights the non-intuitive phenomenology of the emergence of thermodynamics from the fully quantum microscopic description. We illustrate our ideas with the example of the Ising model in a transverse field showing the interesting behaviour of the high-order statistical moments of the work distribution for a generic thermal state and linking them to the critical nature of the model itself.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Hänsch--Couillaud locking of Mach--Zehnder interferometer for carrier removal from a phase-modulated optical spectrum

We describe and analyse the operation and stabilization of a Mach--Zehnder interferometer, which separates the carrier and the first-order sidebands of a phase-modulated laser field, and which is locked using the Hänsch--Couillaud method. In addition to the necessary attenuation, our interferometer introduces, via total internal reflection, a significant polarization-dependent phase delay. We employ a general treatment to describe an interferometer with an object which affects the field along one path, and we examine how this phase delay affects the error signal. We discuss the requirements necessary to ensure the lock point remains unchanged when phase modulation is introduced, and we demonstrate and characterize this locking experimentally. Finally, we suggest an extension to this locking strategy using heterodyne detection.

physics.optics↗