arXiv subjects

Anders S. Sørensen

Publications and source records attributed to Anders S. Sørensen.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Quantum nondemolition measurement of mechanical motion quanta

The fields of opto- and electromechanics have facilitated numerous advances in the areas of precision measurement and sensing, ultimately driving the studies of mechanical systems into the quantum regime. To date, however, the quantization of the mechanical motion and the associated quantum jumps between phonon states remains elusive. For optomechanical systems, the coupling to the environment was shown to preclude the detection of the mechanical mode occupation, unless strong single photon optomechanical coupling is achieved. Here, we propose and analyse an electromechanical setup, which allows to overcome this limitation and resolve the energy levels of a mechanical oscillator. We find that the heating of the membrane, caused by the interaction with the environment and unwanted couplings, can be suppressed for carefully designed electromechanical systems. The results suggest that phonon number measurement is within reach for modern electromechanical setups.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Long-lived non-classical correlations for scalable quantum repeaters at room temperature

Heralded single-photon sources with on-demand readout are promising candidates for quantum repeaters enabling long-distance quantum communication. The need for scalability of such systems requires simple experimental solutions, thus favouring room-temperature systems. For quantum repeater applications, long delays between heralding and single-photon readout are crucial. Until now, this has been prevented in room-temperature atomic systems by fast decoherence due to thermal motion. Here we demonstrate efficient heralding and readout of single collective excitations created in warm caesium vapour. Using the principle of motional averaging we achieve a collective excitation lifetime of $0.27\pm 0.04$ ms, two orders of magnitude larger than previously achieved for single excitations in room-temperature sources. We experimentally verify non-classicality of the light-matter correlations by observing a violation of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality with $R=1.4\pm 0.1>1$. Through spectral and temporal analysis we identify intrinsic four-wave mixing noise as the main contribution compromising single-photon operation of the source.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Photon Scattering from a System of Multi-Level Quantum Emitters. I. Formalism

We introduce a formalism to solve the problem of photon scattering from a system of multi-level quantum emitters. Our approach provides a direct solution of the scattering dynamics. As such the formalism gives the scattered fields amplitudes in the limit of a weak incident intensity. Our formalism is equipped to treat both multi-emitter and multi-level emitter systems, and is applicable to a plethora of photon scattering problems including conditional state preparation by photo-detection. In this paper, we develop the general formalism for an arbitrary geometry. In the following paper (part II), we reduce the general photon scattering formalism to a form that is applicable to $1$-dimensional waveguides, and show its applicability by considering explicit examples with various emitter configurations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Photon Scattering from a System of Multi-Level Quantum Emitters. II. Application to Emitters Coupled to a 1D Waveguide

In a preceding paper we introduced a formalism to study the scattering of low intensity fields from a system of multi-level emitters embedded in a $3$D dielectric medium. Here we show how this photon-scattering relation can be used to analyze the scattering of single photons and weak coherent states from any generic multi-level quantum emitter coupled to a $1$D waveguide. The reduction of the photon-scattering relation to $1$D waveguides provides for the first time a direct solution of the scattering problem involving low intensity fields in the waveguide QED regime. To show how our formalism works, we consider examples of multi-level emitters and evaluate the transmitted and reflected field amplitude. Furthermore, we extend our study to include the dynamical response of the emitters for scattering of a weak coherent photon pulse. As our photon-scattering relation is based on the Heisenberg picture, it is quite useful for problems involving photo-detection in the waveguide architecture. We show this by considering a specific problem of state generation by photo-detection in a multi-level emitter, where our formalism exhibits its full potential. Since the considered emitters are generic, the $1$D results apply to a plethora of physical systems like atoms, ions, quantum dots, superconducting qubits, and nitrogen-vacancy centers coupled to a $1$D waveguide or transmission line.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Controlled-phase gate for photons based on stationary light

We propose a method to induce strong effective interactions between photons mediated by an atomic ensemble. To achieve this, we use the so-called stationary light effect to enhance the interaction. Regardless of the single-atom coupling to light, the interaction strength between the photons can be enhanced by increasing the total number of atoms. For sufficiently many atoms, the setup can be viable as a controlled-phase gate for photons. We derive analytical expressions for the fidelities for two modes of gate operation: deterministic and heralded conditioned on the presence of two photons at the output.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Figures of merit for quantum transducers

Recent technical advances have sparked renewed interest in physical systems that couple simultaneously to different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, thus enabling transduction of signals between vastly different frequencies at the level of single photons. Such hybrid systems have demonstrated frequency conversion of classical signals and have the potential of enabling quantum state transfer, e.g., between superconducting circuits and traveling optical signals. This article describes a simple approach for the theoretical characterization of the performance of quantum transducers. Given that, in practice, one cannot attain ideal one-to-one quantum conversion, we explore how well the transducer performs in scenarios ranging from classical signal detection to applications for quantum information processing. While the performance of the transducer depends on the particular application in which it enters, we show that the performance can be characterized by defining two simple parameters: the signal transfer efficiency $η$ and the added noise $N$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

One- and two-axis squeezing of atomic ensembles in optical cavities

The strong light-matter coupling attainable in optical cavities enables the generation of highly squeezed states of atomic ensembles. It was shown in [Phys. Rev. A 66, 022314 (2002)] how an effective one-axis twisting Hamiltonian can be realized in a cavity setup. Here, we extend this work and show how an effective two-axis twisting Hamiltonian can be realized in a similar cavity setup. We compare the two schemes in order to characterize their advantages. In the absence of decoherence, the two-axis Hamiltonian leads to more squeezing than the one-axis Hamiltonian. If limited by decoherence from spontaneous emission and cavity decay, we find roughly the same level of squeezing for the two schemes scaling as (NC)^(1/2) where C is the single atom cooperativity and N is the total number of atoms. When compared to an ideal squeezing operation, we find that for specific initial states, a dissipative version of the one-axis scheme attains higher fidelity than the unitary one-axis scheme or the two-axis scheme. However, the unitary one-axis and two-axis schemes perform better for general initial states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Interfacing superconducting qubits and single optical photons using molecules in waveguides

We propose an efficient light-matter interface at optical frequencies between a single photon and a superconducting qubit. The desired interface is based on a hybrid architecture composed of an organic molecule embedded inside an optical waveguide and electrically coupled to a superconducting qubit placed near the outside surface of the waveguide. We show that high fidelity, photon-mediated, entanglement between distant superconducting qubits can be achieved with incident pulses at the single photon level. Such a low light level is highly desirable for achieving a coherent optical interface with superconducting qubit, since it minimizes decoherence arising from the absorption of light.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Strictly nonclassical behavior of a mesoscopic system

We experimentally demonstrate the strictly nonclassical behavior in a many-atom system using a recently derived criterion [E. Kot et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 233601 (2012)] that explicitly does not make use of quantum mechanics. We thereby show that the magnetic moment distribution measured by McConnell et al. [R. McConnell et al., Nature 519, 439 (2015)] in a system with a total mass of $2.6\times 10^5$ atomic mass units is inconsistent with classical physics. Notably, the strictly nonclassical behavior affects an area in phase space $10^3$ times larger than the Planck quantum $\hbar$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Floquet quantum simulation with superconducting qubits

We propose a quantum algorithm for simulating spin models based on periodic modulation of transmon qubits. Using Floquet theory we derive an effective time-averaged Hamiltonian, which is of the general XYZ class, different from the isotropic XY Hamiltonian typically realised by the physical setup. As an example, we provide a simple recipe to construct a transverse Ising Hamiltonian in the Floquet basis. For a 1D system we demonstrate numerically the dynamical simulation of the transverse Ising Hamiltonian and quantum annealing to its ground state. We benchmark the Floquet approach with a digital simulation procedure, and demonstrate that it is advantageous for limited resources and finite anharmonicity of the transmons. The described protocol can serve as a simple yet reliable path towards configurable quantum simulators with currently existing superconducting chips.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Efficient quantum computation in a network with probabilistic gates and logical encoding

A new approach to efficient quantum computation with probabilistic gates is proposed and analyzed in both a local and non-local setting. It combines heralded gates previously studied for atom or atom-like qubits with logical encoding from linear optical quantum computation in order to perform high fidelity quantum gates across a quantum network. The error-detecting properties of the heralded operations ensure high fidelity while the encoding makes it possible to correct for failed attempts such that deterministic and high-quality gates can be achieved. Importantly, this is robust to photon loss, which is typically the main obstacle to photonic based quantum information processing. Overall this approach opens a novel path towards quantum networks with atomic nodes and photonic links.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Dispersion relations for stationary light in one-dimensional atomic ensembles

We investigate the dispersion relations for light coupled to one-dimensional ensembles of atoms with different level schemes. The unifying feature of all the considered setups is that the forward and backward propagating quantum fields are coupled by the applied classical drives such that the group velocity can vanish in an effect known as "stationary light". We derive the dispersion relations for all the considered schemes, highlighting the important differences between them. Furthermore, we show that additional control of stationary light can be obtained by treating atoms as discrete scatterers and placing them at well defined positions. For the latter purpose, a multi-mode transfer matrix theory for light is developed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Scalable Dissipative Preparation of Many-Body Entanglement

We present a technique for the dissipative preparation of highly entangled multiparticle states of atoms coupled to common oscillator modes. By combining local spontaneous emission with coherent couplings we engineer many-body dissipation that drives the system from an arbitrary initial state into a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. We demonstrate that using our technique, highly entangled steady states can be prepared efficiently in a time that scales polynomially with the system size. Our protocol assumes generic couplings and will thus enable the dissipative production of multiparticle entanglement in a wide range of physical systems. As an example, we demonstrate the feasibility of our scheme in state-of-the-art trapped-ion systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Continuous wave single photon transistor based on a superconducting circuit

We propose a microwave frequency single photon transistor which can operate under continuous wave probing, and represents an efficient single microwave photon detector. It can be realized using an impedance matched system of a three level artificial ladder-type atom coupled to two microwave cavities connected to input/output waveguides. Using a classical drive on the upper transition, we find parameter space where a single photon control pulse incident on one of cavities can be fully absorbed into hybridized excited states. This subsequently leads to series of quantum jumps in the upper manifold and the appearance of a photon flux leaving the second cavity through a separate input/output port. The proposal does not require time variation of the probe signals, thus corresponding to a passive version of single photon transistor. The resulting device is robust to qubit dephasing processes, possesses low dark count rate for large anharmonicity, and can be readily implemented using current technology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Quantum networks with chiral light--matter interaction in waveguides

We propose a scalable architecture for a quantum network based on a simple on-chip photonic circuit that performs loss-tolerant two-qubit measurements. The circuit consists of two quantum emitters positioned in the arms of an on-chip Mach-Zehnder interferometer composed of waveguides with chiral light--matter interfaces. The efficient chiral light--matter interaction allows the emitters to perform high-fidelity intranode two-qubit parity measurements within a single chip, and to emit photons to generate internode entanglement, without any need for reconfiguration. We show that by connecting multiple circuits of this kind into a quantum network, it is possible to perform universal quantum computation with heralded two-qubit gate fidelities ${\cal F} \sim 0.998$ achievable in state-of-the-art quantum dot systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Photonic Controlled-Phase Gates Through Rydberg Blockade in Optical Cavities

We propose a novel scheme for high fidelity photonic controlled phase gates using Rydberg blockade in an ensemble of atoms in an optical cavity. The gate operation is obtained by first storing a photonic pulse in the ensemble and then scattering a second pulse from the cavity, resulting in a phase change depending on whether the first pulse contained a single photon. We show that the combination of Rydberg blockade and optical cavities effectively enhances the optical non-linearity created by the strong Rydberg interaction and thereby reduces the requirements for photonic quantum gates. The resulting gate can be implemented with cavities of moderate finesse which allows for highly efficient processing of quantum information encoded in photons. As a particular example of this, we show how the gate can be employed to increase the communication rate of quantum repeaters based on atomic ensembles.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Using superlattice potentials to probe long-range magnetic correlations in optical lattices

In Pedersen et al. (2011) we proposed a method to utilize a temporally dependent superlattice potential to mediate spin-selective transport, and thereby probe long and short range magnetic correlations in optical lattices. Specifically this can be used for detecting antiferromagnetic ordering in repulsive fermionic optical lattice systems, but more generally it can serve as a means of directly probing correlations among the atoms by measuring the mean value of an observable, the number of double occupied sites. Here, we provide a detailed investigation of the physical processes which limit the effectiveness of this "conveyer belt method". Furthermore we propose a simple ways to improve the procedure, resulting in an essentially perfect (error-free) probing of the magnetic correlations. These results shows that suitably constructed superlattices constitute a promising way of manipulating atoms of different spin species as well as probing their interactions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Elementary test for non-classicality based on measurements of position and momentum

We generalise a non-classicality test described by Kot et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 233601 (2010)], which can be used to rule out any classical description of a physical system. The test is based on measurements of quadrature operators and works by proving a contradiction with the classical description in terms of a probability distribution in phase space. As opposed to the previous work, we generalise the test to include states without rotational symmetry in phase space. Furthermore, we compare the performance of the non-classicality test with classical tomography methods based on the inverse Radon transform, which can also be used to establish the quantum nature of a physical system. In particular, we consider a non-classicality test based on the so-called filtered back-projection formula. We show that the general non-classicality test is conceptually simpler, requires less assumptions on the system and is statistically more reliable than the tests based on the filtered back-projection formula. As a specific example, we derive the optimal test for a quadrature squeezed single photon state and show that the efficiency of the test does not change with the degree of squeezing.

quant-ph↗