arXiv subjects

Emil Zeuthen

Publications and source records attributed to Emil Zeuthen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Entanglement-enhanced optical magnetometry beyond the standard quantum limit

Optical atomic magnetometry is a powerful tool for continuous sensing applications, yet, in the absence of quantum correlations, its sensitivity is limited by the standard quantum limit (SQL) stemming from a trade-off between optical probe imprecision and quantum measurement backaction. Beyond-SQL sensitivity requires quantum correlations that modify these measurement noise sources. Here we demonstrate such sensitivity by using entangled state of the probe light and by engineering correlations between measurement imprecision and backaction. Having first explored SQL in a broad range of frequencies, we demonstrate overcoming the limit by combining variational readout with coupling the magnetometer to one mode of a bipartite entangled light state and conditioning the results on the other entangled mode. Tuning the detected light quadratures and combining the signals from the two measurement channels, we achieve sensitivity beyond the SQL in a broad range of acoustic frequencies which has so far remained inaccessible to quantum-noise-limited optical magnetometry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Hybrid SU(1,1) interferometry in optomechanics

In non-degenerate SU(1,1) interferometers, beam splitters are replaced by two-mode squeezers, enabling sub-shot-noise sensitivity without input squeezing and robustness to detection losses by quantum entanglement. We propose a hybrid implementation in optomechanics where one "arm" is a mechanical mode undergoing two consecutive, mode-matched interactions with a traveling optical field (constituting the other arm). Such engineered interactions allow for sub-shot-noise phase detection even in the presence of mechanical thermal noise and optical losses, advancing precision interferometry in hybrid systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Hybrid quantum network for sensing in the acoustic frequency range

Ultimate limits for sensing of fields and forces are set by the quantum noise of a sensor. Entanglement allows for suppression of such noise and for achieving sensitivity beyond standard quantum limits. Applicability of quantum optical sensing is often restricted by fixed wavelengths of available photonic quantum sources. Another ubiquitous limitation is associated with challenges of achieving quantum-noise-limited sensitivity in the acoustic noise frequency range relevant for a number of applications. Here we demonstrate a novel tool for broadband quantum sensing by performing quantum state processing that can be applied to a wide range of the optical spectrum, and by suppressing quantum noise over an octave in the acoustic frequency range. An atomic spin ensemble is strongly coupled to one of the frequency-tunable beams of an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) source of light. The other EPR beam of light, entangled with the first one, is tuned to a disparate wavelength. Engineering the spin ensemble to act as a negative- or positive-mass oscillator we demonstrate frequency-dependent quantum noise reduction for measurements at the disparate wavelength. The tunability of the spin ensemble allows to target quantum noise in a variety of systems with dynamics ranging from kHz to MHz. As an example of the broadband quantum noise reduction in the acoustic frequency range, we analyse the applicability of our approach to gravitational wave detectors. Other possible applications include continuous-variable quantum repeaters and distributed quantum sensing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Simultaneous ponderomotive squeezing of light by two mechanical modes in an optomechanical system

We experimentally demonstrate a source of squeezed light featuring simultaneous ponderomotive squeezing from two mechanical modes of an optomechanical system. We use ultra-coherent vibrational modes ($Q$ factors on the order of $10^{8}$) of a soft-clamped membrane placed in a Fabry-P\'erot optical cavity at cryogenic conditions ($T=11\,\mathrm{K}$) and driven by quantum fluctuations in the intensity of light to create correlations between amplitude and phase quadratures of the intra-cavity light field. Continuous optical monitoring was conducted on two different mechanical modes with a frequency separation of around $1\,\mathrm{MHz}$. As a result of the interaction between the membrane position and the light, we generated ponderomotive squeezing of $4.8\,\mathrm{dB}$ for the first localized mechanical mode at $1.32\,\mathrm{MHz}$ and $4.2\,\mathrm{dB}$ for the second localized mode at $2.43\,\mathrm{MHz}$, as observed in direct detection when correcting for the detection inefficiency. Thus, we have demonstrated how squeezed light generation can be extended beyond a single octave in an optomechanical system by leveraging more than one mechanical mode. Utilizing homodyne detection to detect squeezing in an optimal quadrature would lead to squeezing levels at the output of the cavity of $7.3\,\mathrm{dB}$ and $6.8\,\mathrm{dB}$, in the two modes respectively. Squeezing of light demonstrated here for near-infrared light can be achieved in a broad range of wavelengths due to the relative insensitivity of optomechanical interaction with SiN membranes to the wavelength.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Acoustic frequency atomic spin oscillator in the quantum regime

We experimentally demonstrate quantum behavior of a macroscopic atomic spin oscillator in the acoustic frequency range. Quantum back-action of the spin measurement, ponderomotive squeezing of light, and oscillator spring softening are observed at spin oscillation frequencies down to 6 kHz. Quantum noise sources characteristic of spin oscillators operating in the near-DC frequency range are identified and means for their mitigation are presented. These results constitute an important step towards quantum noise reduction and entanglement-enhanced sensing in the acoustic range using a negative-mass reference frame. In particular, the results are relevant for broadband noise reduction in gravitational wave detectors.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Squeezed light from an oscillator measured at the rate of oscillation

Continuous measurements of the position of an oscillator become projective on position eigenstates when the measurements are made faster than the coherent evolution. We evidence an effect of this transition on a spin oscillator within an ensemble of $2\times10^{10}$ room-temperature atoms by observing correlations between the quadratures of the meter light field. These correlations squeeze the fluctuations of the light quadratures below the vacuum level. When the measurement is slower than the oscillation, we generate 11.5 dB and detect 8.5 dB of squeezing in a tunable band that is a fraction of the resonance frequency. When the measurement is as fast as the oscillation, we detect 4.7 dB of squeezing that spans more than one decade of frequencies below the resonance. Our results demonstrate a new regime of continuous quantum measurements on material oscillators, and set a new benchmark for the performance of a linear quantum sensor.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Prediction-retrodiction measurements for teleportation and conditional state transfer

Regular measurements allow predicting the future and retrodicting the past of quantum systems. Time-non-local measurements can leave the future and the past uncertain, yet establish a relation between them. We show that continuous time-non-local measurements can be used to transfer a quantum state via teleportation or direct transmission. Considering two oscillators probed by traveling fields, we analytically identify strategies for performing the state transfer perfectly across a wide range of linear oscillator-field interactions beyond the pure beamsplitter and two-mode-squeezing types.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Trajectories without quantum uncertainties in composite systems with disparate energy spectra

It is well established that measurement-induced quantum back action (QBA) can be eliminated in composite systems by engineering so-called quantum-mechanics-free subspaces (QMFSs) of commuting variables, leading to a trajectory of a quantum system without quantum uncertainties. This situation can be realized in a composite system that includes a negative-mass subsystem, which can be implemented by, e.g., a polarized spin ensemble or a two-tone-driven optomechanical system. The realization of a trajectory without quantum uncertainties implies entanglement between the subsystems, and allows for measurements of motion, fields and forces with, in principle, unlimited precision. To date, these principles have been developed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally for a number of composite systems. However, the utility of the concept has been limited by the dominating requirement of close proximity of the resonance frequencies of the system of interest and the negative-mass reference system, and by the need to embed the subsystems in a narrowband cavity, which could be problematic while at the same time achieving good overcoupling. Here we propose a general approach which overcomes these limitations by employing periodic modulation of the driving fields (e.g., two-tone driving) in combination with coherent or measurement-based anti-noise paths. This approach makes it possible to engineer a QMFS of two systems with vastly different spectra and with arbitrary signs of their masses, while dispensing with the need to embed the subsystems in a sideband-resolving cavity. We discuss the advantages of this novel approach for applications such as QBA evasion in gravitational wave detection, force sensing, and entanglement generation between disparate systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Quantum limits for stationary force sensing

State-of-the-art sensors of force, motion and magnetic fields have reached the sensitivity where the quantum noise of the meter is significant or even dominant. In particular, the sensitivity of the best optomechanical devices has reached the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL), which directly follows from the Heisenberg uncertainty relation and corresponds to balancing the measurement imprecision and the perturbation of the probe by the quantum back action of the meter. The SQL is not truly fundamental and several methods for its overcoming have been proposed and demonstrated. At the same time, two quantum sensitivity constraints which are more fundamental are known. The first limit arises from the finiteness of the probing strength (in the case of optical interferometers - of the circulating optical power) and is known as the Energetic Quantum Limit or, in a more general context, as the Quantum Cramér-Rao Bound (QCRB). The second limit arises from the dissipative dynamics of the probe, which prevents full efficacy of the quantum back action evasion techniques developed for overcoming the SQL. No particular name has been assigned to this limit; we propose the term Dissipative Quantum Limit (DQL) for it. Here we develop a unified theory of these two fundamental limits by deriving the general sensitivity constraint from which they follow as particular cases. Our analysis reveals a phase transition occurring at the boundary between the QCRB-dominated and the DQL regimes, manifested by the discontinuous derivatives of the optimal spectral densities of the meter field quantum noise. This leads to the counter-intuitive (but favorable) finding that quantum-limited sensitivity can be achieved with certain lossy meter systems. Finally, we show that the DQL originates from the non-autocommutativity of the internal thermal noise of the probe and that it can be overcome in non-stationary measurements.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Entanglement between Distant Macroscopic Mechanical and Spin Systems

Entanglement is a vital property of multipartite quantum systems, characterised by the inseparability of quantum states of objects regardless of their spatial separation. Generation of entanglement between increasingly macroscopic and disparate systems is an ongoing effort in quantum science which enables hybrid quantum networks, quantum-enhanced sensing, and probing the fundamental limits of quantum theory. The disparity of hybrid systems and the vulnerability of quantum correlations have thus far hampered the generation of macroscopic hybrid entanglement. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, generation of an entangled state between the motion of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator and a collective atomic spin oscillator, as witnessed by an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen variance below the separability limit, $0.83 \pm 0.02<1$. The mechanical oscillator is a millimeter-size dielectric membrane and the spin oscillator is an ensemble of $10^9$ atoms in a magnetic field. Light propagating through the two spatially separated systems generates entanglement due to the collective spin playing the role of an effective negative-mass reference frame and providing, under ideal circumstances, a backaction-free subspace; in the experiment, quantum backaction is suppressed by 4.6 dB. Our results pave the road towards measurement of motion beyond the standard quantum limits of sensitivity with applications in force, acceleration,and gravitational wave detection, as well as towards teleportation-based protocols in hybrid quantum networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Microwave-to-optical transduction using a mechanical supermode for coupling piezoelectric and optomechanical resonators

The successes of superconducting quantum circuits at local manipulation of quantum information and photonics technology at long-distance transmission of the same have spurred interest in the development of quantum transducers for efficient, low-noise, and bidirectional frequency conversion of photons between the microwave and optical domains. We propose to realize such functionality through the coupling of electrical, piezoelectric, and optomechanical resonators. The coupling of the mechanical subsystems enables formation of a resonant mechanical supermode that provides a mechanically-mediated, efficient single interface to both the microwave and optical domains. The conversion process is analyzed by applying an equivalent circuit model that relates device-level parameters to overall figures of merit for conversion efficiency $η$ and added noise $N$. These can be further enhanced by proper impedance matching of the transducer to an input microwave transmission line. The performance of potential transducers is assessed through finite-element simulations, with a focus on geometries in GaAs, followed by considerations of the AlN, LiNbO$_3$, and AlN-on-Si platforms. We present strategies for maximizing $η$ and minimizing $N$, and find that simultaneously achieving $η>50~\%$ and $N < 0.5$ should be possible with current technology. We find that the use of a mechanical supermode for mediating transduction is a key enabler for high-efficiency operation, particularly when paired with an appropriate microwave impedance matching network. Our comprehensive analysis of the full transduction chain enables us to outline a development path for the realization of high-performance quantum transducers that will constitute a valuable resource for quantum information science.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Gravitational wave detection beyond the standard quantum limit using a negative-mass spin system and virtual rigidity

Gravitational wave detectors (GWDs), which have brought about a new era in astronomy, have reached such a level of maturity that further improvement necessitates quantum-noise-evading techniques. Numerous proposals to this end have been discussed in the literature, e.g., invoking frequency-dependent squeezing or replacing the current Michelson interferometer topology by that of the quantum speedmeter. Recently, a proposal based on the linking of a standard interferometer to a negative-mass spin system via entangled light has offered an unintrusive and small-scale new approach to quantum noise evasion in GWDs [Phys. Rev. Lett. $\mathbf{121}$, 031101 (2018)]. The solution proposed therein does not require modifications to the highly refined core optics of the present GWD design and, when compared to previous proposals, is less prone to losses and imperfections of the interferometer. In the present article, we refine this scheme to an extent that the requirements on the auxiliary spin system are feasible with state-of-the-art implementations. This is accomplished by matching the effective (rather than intrinsic) susceptibilities of the interferometer and spin system using the virtual rigidity concept, which, in terms of implementation, requires only suitable choices of the various homodyne, probe, and squeezing phases.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Engineering asymmetric steady-state Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering in macroscopic hybrid systems

Generation of quantum correlations between separate objects is of significance both in fundamental physics and in quantum networks. One important challenge is to create the directional "spooky action-at-a-distanc" effects that Schrödinger called "steering" between two macroscopic and massive objects. Here, we analyze a generic scheme for generating steering correlations in cascaded hybrid systems in which two distant oscillators with effective masses of opposite signs are coupled to a unidirectional light field, a setup which is known to build up quantum correlations by means of quantum back-action evasion. The unidirectional coupling of the first to the second oscillator via the light field can be engineered to enhance steering in both directions and provides an active method for controlling the asymmetry of steering. We show that the resulting scheme can efficiently generate unconditional steady-state Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering between the two subsystems, even in the presence of thermal noise and optical losses. As a scenario of particular technological interest in quantum networks, we use our scheme to engineer enhanced steering from an untrusted node with limited tunability (in terms of interaction strength and type with the light field) to a trusted, highly tunable node, hence offering a path to implementing one-sided device-independent quantum tasks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Unconditional steady-state entanglement in macroscopic hybrid systems by coherent noise cancellation

The generation of entanglement between disparate physical objects is a key ingredient in the field of quantum technologies, since they can have different functionalities in a quantum network. Here we propose and analyze a generic approach to steady-state entanglement generation between two oscillators with different temperatures and decoherence properties coupled in cascade to a common unidirectional light field. The scheme is based on a combination of coherent noise cancellation and dynamical cooling techniques for two oscillators with effective masses of opposite signs, such as quasi-spin and motional degrees of freedom, respectively. The interference effect provided by the cascaded setup can be tuned to implement additional noise cancellation leading to improved entanglement even in the presence of a hot thermal environment. The unconditional entanglement generation is advantageous since it provides a ready-to-use quantum resource. Remarkably, by comparing to the conditional entanglement achievable in the dynamically stable regime, we find our unconditional scheme to deliver a virtually identical performance when operated optimally.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Photon propagation through dissipative Rydberg media at large input rates

We study the dissipative propagation of quantized light in interacting Rydberg media under the conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Rydberg blockade physics in optically dense atomic media leads to strong dissipative interactions between single photons. The regime of high incoming photon flux constitutes a challenging many-body dissipative problem. We experimentally study in detail for the first time the pulse shapes and the second-order correlation function of the outgoing field and compare our data with simulations based on two novel theoretical approaches well-suited to treat this many-photon limit. At low incoming flux, we report good agreement between both theories and the experiment. For higher input flux, the intensity of the outgoing light is lower than that obtained from theoretical predictions. We explain this discrepancy using a simple phenomenological model taking into account pollutants, which are nearly-stationary Rydberg excitations coming from the reabsorption of scattered probe photons. At high incoming photon rates, the blockade physics results in unconventional shapes of measured correlation functions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Electro-optomechanical equivalent circuits for quantum transduction

Using the techniques of optomechanics, a high-$Q$ mechanical oscillator may serve as a link between electromagnetic modes of vastly different frequencies. This approach has successfully been exploited for the frequency conversion of classical signals and has the potential of performing quantum state transfer between superconducting circuitry and a traveling optical signal. Such transducers are often operated in a linear regime, where the hybrid system can be described using linear response theory based on the Heisenberg-Langevin equations. While mathematically straightforward to solve, this approach yields little intuition about the dynamics of the hybrid system to aid the optimization of the transducer. As an analysis and design tool for such electro-optomechanical transducers, we introduce an equivalent circuit formalism, where the entire transducer is represented by an electrical circuit. Thereby we integrate the transduction functionality of optomechanical systems into the toolbox of electrical engineering allowing the use of its well-established design techniques. This unifying impedance description can be applied both for static (DC) and harmonically varying (AC) drive fields, accommodates arbitrary linear circuits, and is not restricted to the resolved-sideband regime. Furthermore, by establishing the quantized input-output formalism for the equivalent circuit, we obtain the scattering matrix for linear transducers using circuit analysis, and thereby have a complete quantum mechanical characterization of the transducer. Hence, this mapping of the entire transducer to the language of electrical engineering both sheds light on how the transducer performs and can at the same time be used to optimize its performance by aiding the design of a suitable electrical circuit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Correlated photon dynamics in dissipative Rydberg media

Rydberg blockade physics in optically dense atomic media under the conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) leads to strong dissipative interactions between single photons. We introduce a new approach to analyzing this challenging many-body problem in the limit of large optical depth per blockade radius. In our approach, we separate the single-polariton EIT physics from Rydberg-Rydberg interactions in a serialized manner while using a hard-sphere model for the latter, thus capturing the dualistic particle-wave nature of light as it manifests itself in dissipative Rydberg-EIT media. Using this approach, we analyze the saturation behavior of the transmission through one-dimensional Rydberg-EIT media in the regime of non-perturbative dissipative interactions relevant to current experiments. Our model is able to capture the many-body dynamics of bright, coherent pulses through these strongly interacting media. We compare our model with available experimental data in this regime and find good agreement. We also analyze a scheme for generating regular trains of single photons from continuous-wave input and derive its scaling behavior in the presence of imperfect single-photon EIT.

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↗