arXiv subjects

Chuan-Feng Li

Publications and source records attributed to Chuan-Feng Li.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Probing the collective dynamics of nuclear spin bath in a rare-earth ion doped crystal

Probing collective spin dynamics is a current challenge in the field of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and has important applications in material analysis and quantum information protocols. Recently, the rare-earth ion doped crystals are an attractive candidate for making long-lived quantum memory. Further enhancement of its performance would benefit from the direct knowledge on the dynamics of nuclear-spin bath in the crystal. Here we detect the collective dynamics of nuclear-spin bath located around the rare-earth ions in a crystal using dynamical decoupling spectroscopy method. From the measured spectrum, we analyze the configuration of the spin bath and characterize the flip-flop time between two correlated nuclear spins in a long time scale ($\sim $1s). Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that the rare-earth ions can serve as a magnetic quantum sensor for external magnetic field. These results suggest that the rare-earth ion is a useful probe for complex spin dynamics in solids and enable quantum sensing in the low-frequency regime, revealing promising possibilities for applications in diverse fields.

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arXiv2018

Demonstration of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering with Enhanced Subchannel Discrimination

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering describes a quantum nonlocal phenomenon in which one party can nonlocally affect the other's state through local measurements. It reveals an additional concept of quantum nonlocality, which stands between quantum entanglement and Bell nonlocality. Recently, a quantum information task named as subchannel discrimination (SD) provides a necessary and sufficient characterization of EPR steering. The success probability of SD using steerable states is higher than using any unsteerable states, even when they are entangled. However, the detailed construction of such subchannels and the experimental realization of the corresponding task are still technologically challenging. In this work, we designed a feasible collection of subchannels for a quantum channel and experimentally demonstrated the corresponding SD task where the probabilities of correct discrimination are clearly enhanced by exploiting steerable states. Our results provide a concrete example to operationally demonstrate EPR steering and shine a new light on the potential application of EPR steering.

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arXiv2018

Experimental demonstration of wave-particle duality relation based on coherence measure

Wave-particle duality is a typical example of Bohr's complementarity principle that plays a significant role in quantum mechanics. Previous studies used the visibility of an interference pattern to quantify the wave property and used path information to quantify the particle property. However, coherence is the core and basis of the interference phenomenon. If we could use coherence to characterize the wave property, the understanding of wave-particle duality would be strengthened. A recent theoretical work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 160406 (2016)] found two relations between quantum coherence and path information. Here, we demonstrate the new measure of wave-particle duality based on two kinds of coherence measures quantitatively for the first time. The wave property, quantified by the coherence in the l1-norm measure and the relative entropy measure, can be obtained via tomography of the target state, which is encoded in the path degree of freedom of the photons. The particle property, quantified by the path information, can be obtained via the discrimination of detector states, which is encoded in the polarization degree of freedom of the photons. Our work may deepen people's understanding of coherence and provide a new perspective regarding wave-particle duality.

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arXiv2018

A Raman-Heterodyne Study of the Hyperfine Interaction of the Optically-Excited State $^5$D$_0$ of Eu$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$

The spin coherence time of $^{151}$Eu$^{3+}$ which substitutes the yttrium at site 1 in Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal has been extended to 6 hours in a recent work [\textit{Nature} \textbf{517}, 177 (2015)]. To make this long-lived spin coherence useful for optical quantum memory applications, we experimentally characterize the hyperfine interaction of the optically-excited state $^5$D$_0$ using Raman-heterodyne-detected nuclear magnetic resonance. The effective spin Hamiltonians for excited and ground state are fitted based on the experimental spectra obtained in 200 magnetic fields with various orientations. To show the correctness of the fitted parameters and potential application in quantum memory protocols, we also characterize the ground-state hyperfine interaction and predict the critical magnetic field which produces the 6-hour-long coherence time. The complete energy level structure for both the $^7$F$_0$ ground state and $^5$D$_0$ excited state at the critical magnetic field are obtained. These results enable the design of quantum memory protocols and the optimization of optical pumping strategy for realization of photonic quantum memory with hour-long lifetime.

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arXiv2018

Experimentally detecting a quantum change point via Bayesian inference

Detecting a change point is a crucial task in statistics that has been recently extended to the quantum realm. A source state generator that emits a series of single photons in a default state suffers an alteration at some point and starts to emit photons in a mutated state. The problem consists in identifying the point where the change took place. In this work, we consider a learning agent that applies Bayesian inference on experimental data to solve this problem. This learning machine adjusts the measurement over each photon according to the past experimental results finds the change position in an online fashion. Our results show that the local-detection success probability can be largely improved by using such a machine learning technique. This protocol provides a tool for improvement in many applications where a sequence of identical quantum states is required.

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arXiv2017

Detecting metrologically useful asymmetry and entanglement by a few local measurements

Important properties of a quantum system are not directly measurable, but they can be disclosed by how fast the system changes under controlled perturbations. In particular, asymmetry and entanglement can be verified by reconstructing the state of a quantum system. Yet, this usually requires experimental and computational resources which increase exponentially with the system size. Here we show how to detect metrologically useful asymmetry and entanglement by a limited number of measurements. This is achieved by studying how they affect the speed of evolution of a system under a unitary transformation. We show that the speed of multiqubit systems can be evaluated by measuring a set of local observables, providing exponential advantage with respect to state tomography. Indeed, the presented method requires neither the knowledge of the state and the parameter-encoding Hamiltonian nor global measurements performed on all the constituent subsystems. We implement the detection scheme in an all-optical experiment.

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arXiv2017

Experimental cyclic inter-conversion between Coherence and Quantum Correlations

Quantum resource theories seek to quantify sources of non-classicality that bestow quantum technologies their operational advantage. Chief among these are studies of quantum correlations and quantum coherence. The former to isolate non-classicality in the correlations between systems, the latter to capture non-classicality of quantum superpositions within a single physical system. Here we present a scheme that cyclically inter-converts between these resources without loss. The first stage converts coherence present in an input system into correlations with an ancilla. The second stage harnesses these correlations to restore coherence on the input system by measurement of the ancilla. We experimentally demonstrate this inter-conversion process using linear optics. Our experiment highlights the connection between non-classicality of correlations and non-classicality within local quantum systems, and provides potential flexibilities in exploiting one resource to perform tasks normally associated with the other.

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arXiv2017

A self-guide method to search maximal Bell violation for unknown quantum states

In recent decades, a great variety of researches and applications concerning Bell nonlocality have been developed with the advent of quantum information science. Providing that Bell nonlocality can be revealed by the violation of a family of Bell inequalities, finding maximal Bell violation (MBV) for unknown quantum states becomes an important and inevitable task during Bell experiments. In this paper we introduce a self-guide method to find MBVs for unknown states using a stochastic gradient ascent algorithm (SGA), by parameterizing the corresponding Bell operators. For all the investigated systems (2-qubit, 3-qubit and 2-qutrit), this method can ascertain the MBV accurately within 100 iterations. Moreover, SGA exhibits significant superiority in efficiency, robustness and versatility compared to other possible methods.

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arXiv2017

A photonic quantum interface for hybrid quantum network

The hybrid quantum network, a universal form of quantum network which is aimed for quantum communication and distributed quantum computation, is that the quantum nodes in it are realized with different physical systems. This universal form of quantum network can combine the advantages and avoid the inherent defects of the different physical system. However, one obstacle standing in the way is the compatible photonic quantum interface. One possible solution is using non-degenerate, narrow-band, entangled photon pairs as the photonic interface. Here, for the first time, we generate nondegenrate narrow-band polarization-entangled photon pairs in cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion process. The bandwidths and central wavelengths of the signal and idler photons are 9 MHz at 935 nm and 9.5 MHz at 880 nm, which are compatible with trapped ion system and solid-state quantum memory system. The entanglement of the photon source is certified by quantum state tomography, showing a fidelity of 89.6% between the generated quantum state with a Bell state. Besides, a strong violation against Bell inequality with 2.36+/-0.03 further confirms the entanglement property of the photon pairs. Our method is suitable for the hybrid quantum network and will take a big step in this field.

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arXiv2017

Experimental nonlocal steering of Bohmian trajectories

Interpretations of quantum mechanics (QM), or proposals for underlying theories, that attempt to present a definite realist picture, such as Bohmian mechanics, require strong non-local effects. Naively, these effects would violate causality and contradict special relativity. However if the theory agrees with QM the violation cannot be observed directly. Here, we demonstrate experimentally such an effect: we steer the velocity and trajectory of a Bohmian particle using a remote measurement. We use a pair of photons and entangle the spatial transverse position of one with the polarization of the other. The first photon is sent to a double-slit-like apparatus, where its trajectory is measured using the technique of Weak Measurements. The other photon is projected to a linear polarization state. The choice of polarization state, and the result, steer the first photon in the most intuitive sense of the word. The effect is indeed shown to be dramatic, while being easy to visualize. We discuss its strength and what are the conditions for it to occur.

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arXiv2017

Taking tomographic measurements for photonic qubits 88 ns before they are created

We experimentally demonstrate that tomographic measurements can be performed for states of qubits before they are prepared. A variant of the quantum teleportation protocol is used as a channel between two instants in time, allowing measurements for polarisation states of photons to be implemented 88 ns before they are created. Measurement data taken at the early time and later unscrambled according to the results of the protocol's Bell measurements, produces density matrices with an average fidelity of $0.90 \pm 0.01$ against the ideal states of photons created at the later time. Process tomography of the time-reverse quantum channel finds an average process fidelity of $0.84 \pm 0.02$. While our proof-of-principle implementation necessitates some post-selection, the general protocol is deterministic and requires no post-selection to sift desired states and reject a larger ensemble.

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arXiv2017

Degenerate cavity supporting more than 31 Laguerre-Gaussian modes

Photons propagating in Laguerre-Gaussian modes have characteristic orbital angular momentums, which are fundamental optical degrees of freedom. The orbital angular momentum of light has potential application in high capacity optical communication and even in quantum information processing. In this work, we experimentally construct a ring cavity with 4 lenses and 4 mirrors that is completely degenerate for Laguerre-Gaussian modes. By measuring the transmission peaks and patterns of different modes, the ring cavity is shown to supporting more than 31 Laguerre-Gaussian modes. The constructed degenerate cavity opens a new way for using the unlimited resource of available angular momentum states simultaneously.

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arXiv2017

Experimental observation of anomalous trajectories of single photons

A century after its conception, quantum mechanics still hold surprises that contradict many "common sense" notions. The contradiction is especially sharp in case one consider trajectories of truly quantum objects such as single photons. From a classical point of view, trajectories are well defined for particles, but not for waves. The wave-particle duality forces a breakdown of this dichotomy and quantum mechanics resolves this in a remarkable way: Trajectories can be well defined, but they are utterly different from classical trajectories. Here, we give an operational definition to the trajectory of a single photon by introducing a novel technique to mark its path using its spectral composition. The method demonstrates that the frequency degree of freedom can be used as a bona fide quantum measurement device (meter). The analysis of a number of setups, using our operational definition, leads to anomalous trajectories which are non-continuous and in some cases do not even connect the source of the photon to where it is detected. We carried out an experimental demonstration of these anomalous trajectories using a nested interferometer. We show that the Two-state vector formalism provides a simple explanation for the results.

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arXiv2017

Demonstration of MultiSetting One-Way Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering in Two-Qubit Systems

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering describes the ability of one party to remotely affect another's state through local measurements. One of the most distinguishable properties of EPR steering is its asymmetric aspect. Steering can work in one direction but fail in the opposite direction. This type of one-way steering, which is different from the symmetry concepts of entanglement and Bell nonlocality, has garnered much interest. However, an experimental demonstration of genuine EPR steering in the simplest scenario, i.e., one that employs two-qubit systems, is still lacking. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate one-way EPR steering with multimeasurement settings for a class of two-qubit states, which are still one-way steerable even with infinite settings. The steerability is quantified by the steering radius, which represents a necessary and sufficient steering criterion. The demonstrated one-way steering in the simplest bipartite quantum system is of fundamental interest and may provide potential applications in one-way quantum information tasks.

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arXiv2017

Experimentally Obtaining Maximal Coherence Via Assisted Distillation Pro cess

Quantum coherence, which quantifies the superposition properties of a quantum state, plays an indispensable role in quantum resource theory. A recent theoretical work [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{116}, 070402 (2016)] studied the manipulation of quantum coherence in bipartite or multipartite systems under the protocol Local Incoherent Operation and Classical Communication (LQICC). Here we present the first experimental realization of obtaining maximal coherence in assisted distillation protocol based on linear optical system. The results of our work show that the optimal distillable coherence rate can be reached even in one-copy scenario when the overall bipartite qubit state is pure. Moreover, the experiments for mixed states showed that distillable coherence can be increased with less demand than entanglement distillation. Our work might be helpful in the remote quantum information processing and quantum control.

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arXiv2017

Generation and applications of an ultrahigh-fidelity four-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state

High-quality entangled photon pairs generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion have made great contributions to the modern quantum information science and the fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. However, the quality of the entangled states decreases sharply when moving from biphoton to multiphoton experiments, mainly due to the lack of interactions between photons. Here, for the first time, we generate a four-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state with a fidelity of $98\%$, which is even comparable to the best fidelity of biphoton entangled states. Thus, it enables us to demonstrate an ultrahigh-fidelity entanglement swapping---the key ingredient in various quantum information tasks. Our results push the fidelity of multiphoton entanglement generation to a new level and would be useful in some demanding tasks, e.g., we successfully demonstrate the genuine multipartite nonlocality of the observed state in the nonsignaling scenario by violating a novel Hardy-like inequality, which requires very high state-fidelity.

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arXiv2017

Semihierarchical quantum repeaters based on moderate lifetime quantum memories

The construction of large-scale quantum networks relies on the development of practical quantum repeaters. Many approaches have been proposed with the goal of outperforming the direct transmission of photons, but most of them are inefficient or difficult to implement with current technology. Here, we present a protocol that uses a semi-hierarchical structure to improve the entanglement distribution rate while reducing the requirement of memory time to a range of tens of milliseconds. This protocol can be implemented with a fixed distance of elementary links and fixed requirements on quantum memories, which are independent of the total distance. This configuration is especially suitable for scalable applications in large-scale quantum networks.

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arXiv2016

Synthetic photonic lattices: new routes towards all-optical photonic devices

All-optical photonic devices are crucial for many important photonic technology and applications, ranging from optical communication to quantum information processing. Conventional design of all-optical devices is based on photon propagation and interference in real space, which may reply on large numbers of optical elements and are challenging for precise control. Here we propose a new route for engineering all-optical devices using photon internal degrees of freedom, which form photonic crystals in such synthetic dimensions for photon propagation and interference. We demonstrate this new design concept by showing how important optical devices such as quantum memory and optical filter can be realized using synthetic orbital angular momentum (OAM) lattices in a single main degenerate cavity. The new designing route utilizing synthetic photonic lattices may significantly reduce the requirement for numerous optical elements and their fine tuning in conventional design, paving the way for realistic all-optical photonic devices with novel functionalities.

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