arXiv subjects

Alex Retzker

Publications and source records attributed to Alex Retzker.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Parameter estimation with efficient photodetectors

Current parameter estimation techniques rely on photodetectors which have low brightness and thus are based on gathering averaged statistics. Recently it was claimed that perfect photodetction will change the nature of sensing algorithms and will increase sensing efficiency beyond the immediate effect of having larger collection efficiency. In this paper we bring up the observation that perfect photodetection implies Heisenberg scaling($\frac{1}{T}$) for parameter estimations. We analyze a specific example in detail.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Quantum metrology enhanced by repetitive quantum error correction

The accumulation of quantum phase in response to a signal is the central mechanism of quantum sensing, as such, loss of phase information presents a fundamental limitation. For this reason approaches to extend quantum coherence in the presence of noise are actively being explored. Here we experimentally protect a room-temperature hybrid spin register against environmental decoherence by performing repeated quantum error correction whilst maintaining sensitivity to signal fields. We use a long-lived nuclear spin to correct multiple phase errors on a sensitive electron spin in diamond and realize magnetic field sensing beyond the timescales set by natural decoherence. The universal extension of sensing time, robust to noise at any frequency, demonstrates the definitive advantage entangled multi-qubit systems provide for quantum sensing and offers an important complement to quantum control techniques. In particular, our work opens the door for detecting minute signals in the presence of high frequency noise, where standard protocols reach their limits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Refocusing two qubit gate noise for trapped ions by composite pulses

Amplitude noise which inflicts a random two qubit term is one of the main obstacles preventing the implementation of a high fidelity two-body gate below the fault tolerance threshold. This noise is difficult to refocus as any refocusing technique could only tackle noise with frequency below the operation rate. Since the two qubit gate speed is normally the slowest rate in the system, it constitutes the last bottleneck towards an implementation of a gate below the fault tolerant threshold. Here we propose to use composite pulses as a dynamical decoupling approach, in order to reduce two qubit gate noise for trapped ions systems. This is done by refocusing the building blocks of ultrafast entangling gates, where the amplitude noise is reduced to shot-to-shot (STS) noise. We present detailed simulations showing that the fault-tolerance threshold could be achieved with the proposed approach.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum Error-Correction-Enhanced Magnetometer Overcoming the Limit Imposed by Relaxation

When incorporated in quantum sensing protocols, quantum error correction can be used to correct for high frequency noise, as the correction procedure does not depend on the actual shape of the noise spectrum. As such, it provides a powerful way to complement usual refocusing techniques. Relaxation imposes a fundamental limit on the sensitivity of state of the art quantum sensors which cannot be overcome by dynamical decoupling. The only way to overcome this is to utilize quantum error correcting codes. We present a superconducting magnetometry design that incorporates approximate quantum error correction, in which the signal is generated by a two qubit Hamiltonian term. This two-qubit term is provided by the dynamics of a tunable coupler between two transmon qubits. For fast enough correction, it is possible to lengthen the coherence time of the device beyond the relaxation limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Proposal for high-fidelity quantum simulation using a hybrid dressed state

A fundamental goal of quantum technologies concerns the exploitation of quantum coherent dynamics for the realisation of novel quantum applications such as quantum computing, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology. A key challenge on the way towards these goals remains the protection of quantum coherent dynamics from environmental noise. Here, we propose a concept of hybrid dressed state from a pair of continuously driven systems. It allows sufficiently strong driving fields to suppress the effect of environmental noise, while at the same time being insusceptible to both the amplitude and phase noise in the continuous driving fields. This combination of robust features significantly enhances coherence times under realistic conditions, and at the same time provides new flexibility in Hamiltonian engineering that otherwise is not achievable. We demonstrate theoretically applications of our scheme for noise resistant analog quantum simulation in the well studied physical systems of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and of trapped ions. The scheme may also be exploited for quantum computation and quantum metrology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Resonance-inclined optical nuclear spin polarization of liquids in diamond structures

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) of molecules in a solution at room temperature has potential to revolutionize nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. The prevalent methods for achieving DNP in solutions are typically most effective in the regime of small interaction correlation times between the electron and nuclear spins, limiting the size of accessible molecules. To solve this limitation, we design a mechanism for DNP in the liquid phase that is applicable for large interaction correlation times. Importantly, while this mechanism makes use of a resonance condition similar to solid-state DNP, the polarization transfer is robust to a relatively large detuning from the resonance due to molecular motion. We combine this scheme with optically polarized nitrogen vacancy (NV) center spins in nanodiamonds to design a setup that employs optical pumping and is therefore not limited by room temperature electron thermal polarisation. We illustrate numerically the effectiveness of the model in a flow cell containing nanodiamonds immobilized in a hydrogel, polarising flowing water molecules 4700-fold above thermal polarisation in a magnetic field of 0.35 T, in volumes detectable by current NMR scanners.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2015

Formation of helical ion chains

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of the linear to zigzag structural phase transition exhibited by an ion chain confined in a trap with periodic boundary conditions. The transition is driven by reducing the transverse confinement at a finite quench rate, which can be accurately controlled. This results in the formation of zigzag domains oriented along different transverse planes. The twists between different domains can be stabilized by the topology of the trap and under laser cooling the system has a chance to relax to a helical chain with nonzero winding number. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to obtain a large sample of possible trajectories for different quench rates. The scaling of the average winding number with different quench rates is compared to the prediction of the Kibble-Zurek theory, and a good quantitative agreement is found.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Universal Set of Gates for Microwave Dressed-State Quantum Computing

We propose a set of techniques that enable universal quantum computing to be carried out using dressed states. This applies in particular to the effort of realising quantum computation in trapped ions using long-wavelength radiation, where coupling enhancement is achieved by means of static magnetic-field gradient. We show how the presence of dressing fields enables the construction of robust single and multi-qubit gates despite the unavoidable presence of magnetic noise, an approach that can be generalised to provide shielding in any analogous quantum system that relies on the coupling of electronic degrees of freedom via bosonic modes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Multi-Qubit Gate with Trapped Ions for Microwave and Laser-Based Implementation

A proposal for a phase gate and a Mølmer-Sørensen (MS) gate in the dressed state basis is presented. In order to perform the multi-qubit interaction, a strong magnetic field gradient is required to couple the phonon-bus to the qubit states. The gate is performed using resonant microwave driving fields together with either a radio-frequency (RF) driving field, or additional detuned microwave driving fields. The gate is robust to ambient magnetic field fluctuations due to an applied resonant microwave driving field. Furthermore, the gate is robust to fluctuations in the microwave Rabi frequency and is decoupled from phonon dephasing due to a resonant RF or a detuned microwave driving field. This makes this new gate an attractive candidate for the implementation of high-fidelity microwave based multi-qubit gates. The proposal can also be realized in laser-based set-ups.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Structural phase transitions and topological defects in ion Coulomb crystals

We use laser-cooled ion Coulomb crystals in the well-controlled environment of a harmonic radiofrequency ion trap to investigate phase transitions and defect formation. Topological defects in ion Coulomb crystals (kinks) have been recently proposed for studies of nonlinear physics with solitons and as carriers of quantum information. Defects form when a symmetry breaking phase transition is crossed nonadiabatically. For a second order phase transition, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism predicts that the formation of these defects follows a power law scaling in the rate of the transition. We demonstrate a scaling of defect density and describe kink dynamics and stability. We further discuss the implementation of mass defects and electric fields as first steps toward controlled kink preparation and manipulation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Testing quantum gravity by nanodiamond interferometry with nitrogen-vacancy centers

Interferometry with massive particles may have the potential to explore the limitations of standard quantum mechanics in particular where it concerns its boundary with general relativity and the yet to be developed theory of quantum gravity. This development is hindered considerably by the lack of experimental evidence and testable predictions. Analyzing effects that appear to be common to many of such theories, such as a modification of the energy dispersion and of the canonical commutation relation within the standard framework of quantum mechanics, has been proposed as a possible way forward. Here we analyze in some detail the impact of a modified energy-momentum dispersion in a Ramsey-Bordé setup and provide achievable bounds of these correcting terms when operating such an interferometer with nanodiamonds. Thus, taking thermal and gravitational disturbances into account will show that without specific prerequisites, quantum gravity modifications may in general be suppressed requiring a revision of previously estimated bounds. As a possible solution we propose a stable setup that is rather insensitive to these effects. Finally, we address the problems of decoherence and pulse errors in such setups and discuss the scalings and advantages with increasing particle mass.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

All-optical high-resolution magnetic resonance using a nitrogen-vacancy spin in diamond

We propose an all-optical scheme to prolong the quantum coherence of a negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Optical control of the NV spin suppresses energy fluctuations of the $^{3}\text{A}_{2}$ ground states and forms an energy gap protected subspace. By optical control, the spectral linewidth of magnetic resonance is much narrower and the measurement of the frequencies of magnetic field sources has higher resolution. The optical control also improves the sensitivity of the magnetic field detection and can provide measurement of the directions of signal sources.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Heralded generation of Bell states using atomic ensembles

We propose a scheme that utilizes the collective enhancement of a photonic mode inside an atomic ensemble together with a proper Zeeman manifold in order to achieve a heralded polarization entangled Bell state. The entanglement is between two photons that are separated in time and can be used as a post selected deterministic source for applications such as quantum repeaters where a subsequent entanglement swapping measurement is employed. We present a detailed analysis of the practical limitation of the scheme.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Quantum Simulation of the Haldane Phase Using Trapped Ions

A proposal to use trapped ions to simulate spin-one XXZ antiferromagnetic (AFM) chains as an experimental tool to explore the Haldane phase is presented. We explain how to reach the Haldane phase adiabatically, demonstrate the robustness of the ground states to noise in the magnetic field and Rabi frequencies, and propose a way to detect them using their characterizations: an excitation gap and exponentially decaying correlations, a nonvanishing nonlocal string order and a double degenerate entanglement spectrum. Scaling up to higher dimensions and more frustrated lattices, we obtain richer phase diagrams, and we can reach spin liquid phase, which can be detected by its entanglement entropy which obeys the boundary law.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Increasing sensing resolution with error correction

The signal to noise ratio of quantum sensing protocols scales with the square root of the coherence time. Thus, increasing this time is a key goal in the field. Dynamical decoupling has proven to be efficient in prolonging the coherence times for the benefit of quantum sensing. However, dynamical decoupling can only push the sensitivity up to a certain limit. In this work we present a new approach to increasing the coherence time further through error correction which can improve the efficiency of quantum sensing beyond the fundamental limits of current state of the art methods.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Self-assembling hybrid diamond-biological quantum devices

The realization of scalable arrangements of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond remains a key challenge on the way towards efficient quantum information processing, quantum simulation and quantum sensing applications. Although technologies based on implanting NV-center in bulk diamond crystals or hybrid device approaches have been developed, they are limited in the achievable spatial resolution and by the intricate technological complexities involved in achieving scalability. We propose and demonstrate a novel approach for creating an arrangement of NV-centers, based on the self-assembling capabilities of biological systems and its beneficial nanometer spatial resolution. Here, a self-assembled protein structure serves as a structural scaffold for surface functionalized nanodiamonds, in this way allowing for the controlled creation of NV-structures on the nanoscale and providing a new avenue towards bridging the bio-nano interface. One-, two- as well as three-dimensional structures are within the scope of biological structural assembling techniques. We realized experimentally the formation of regular structures by interconnecting nanodiamonds using biological protein scaffolds. Based on the achievable NV-center distances of 11nm, we evaluate the expected dipolar coupling interaction with neighboring NV-center as well as the expected decoherence time. Moreover, by exploiting these couplings, we provide a detailed theoretical analysis on the viability of multiqubit quantum operations, suggest the possibility of individual addressing based on the random distribution of the NV intrinsic symmetry axes and address the challenges posed by decoherence and imperfect couplings. We then demonstrate in the last part that our scheme allows for the high-fidelity creation of entanglement, cluster states and quantum simulation applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Coupling of nitrogen vacancy centers in nanodiamonds by means of phonons

Realising controlled quantum dynamics via the magnetic interactions between colour centers in diamond remains a challenge despite recent demonstrations for nanometer separated pairs. Here we propose to use the intrinsic acoustical phonons in diamond as a data bus for accomplishing this task. We show that for nanodiamonds the electron-phonon coupling can take significant values that together with mode frequencies in the THz range, can serve as a resource for conditional gate operations. Based on these results we analyze how to use this phonon-induced interaction for constructing quantum gates among the electron-spin triplet ground states, introducing the phonon dependence via Raman transitions. Combined with decoupling pulses this offers the possibility for creating entangled states within nanodiamonds on the scale of several tens of nanometers, a promising prerequisite for quantum sensing applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Dynamics of topological defects in ion Coulomb crystals

We study experimentally and theoretically the properties of structural defects (kink solitons) in two-dimensional ion Coulomb crystals. We show how different types of kink solitons with different physical properties can be realized, and transformed from one type into another by varying the aspect ratio of the trap confinement. Further, we discuss how impurities in ion Coulomb crystals, such as mass defects, can modify the dynamics of kink creation and their stability. For both pure and impure crystals, the experimentally observed kink dynamics are analyzed in detail and explained theoretically by numerical simulations and calculations of the Peierls-Nabarro potential. Finally, we show that static electric fields provide a handle to vary the influence of mass defects on kinks in a controlled way and allow for deterministic manipulation and creation of kinks.

quant-ph↗