arXiv subjects

Frank Schmidt

Publications and source records attributed to Frank Schmidt.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Bosonic quantum error correction with microwave cavities for quantum repeaters

Long-distance quantum communication necessitates the use of quantum repeaters, which typically include highly coherent quantum memories. We provide a theoretical analysis of the secret key rates for a quantum repeater system incorporating bosonic error correction and memory components. Specifically, we focus on the application of Binomial codes for two repeater segments. Using these codes, our investigation aims to suppress memory loss errors that commonly affect systems such as atoms and microwave cavities, in contrast to dephasing errors in single-spin memories. We further discuss a physical implementation of such a quantum repeater comprising a microwave cavity and a superconducting transmon, capable of state engineering with high fidelities ($>97\%$) and logical Bell state measurements for successful entanglement swapping. As an alternative approach, we also discuss a realization in the all-optical domain.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Generalized fusions of photonic quantum states using static linear optics

Using numerical simulations, we explore generalized fusion measurements, extending them in three key ways. We incorporate ancilla-boosting and code-boosting to optimize fusion measurements, which may, but do not necessarily, correspond to Bell measurements. For ancilla-boosting beyond Bell measurements, we identify a hierarchy of fusion efficiencies involving up to four single-photon ancillas. From this numerical evidence, we conjecture the efficiencies for a larger number of single-photon ancillas. Interestingly, our findings suggest that achieving unit efficiency is impossible without utilizing entangled ancilla states. Additionally, in the context of code-boosting, we present an example of a global measurement that surpasses the best-known, via transversal Bell measurements achievable efficiency for a small instance of the quantum parity code.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Preliminary Results of the 2023 International Fermilab Booster Studies

An overview is given of the methods and preliminary results from dedicated beam studies on three topics conducted over five days in July 2023. In the first study, the Fermilab Booster magnets were held constant at magnetic fields corresponding to the injection energy. The beam loss and emittance growth were observed under varying intensity, tunes, and sextupole resonances. The corresponding beam conditions were also simulated with the MADX-SC code~\cite{Schmidt:2644660}. In the second study, measurements of the vertical half-integer resonance and correction methods are conducted for high-intensity beams ramping in the Booster. Finally, syncho-betatron instabilities are observed during transition-crossing in the Booster under strong space-charge conditions.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2023

Error-corrected quantum repeaters with GKP qudits

The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code offers the possibility to encode higher-dimensional qudits into individual bosonic modes with, for instance, photonic excitations. Since photons enable the reliable transmission of quantum information over long distances and since GKP states subject to photon loss can be recovered to some extent, the GKP code has found recent applications in theoretical investigations of quantum communication protocols. While previous studies have primarily focused on GKP qubits, the possible practical benefits of higher-dimensional GKP qudits are hitherto widely unexplored. In this paper, we carry out performance analyses for three quantum repeater protocols based on GKP qudits including concatenations with a multi-qudit quantum polynomial code. We find that the potential data transmission gains for qudits are often hampered by their decreased GKP error-correcting capabilities. However, we also identify parameter regimes in which having access to an increased number of quantum levels per mode can enhance the theoretically achievable secret-key rate of the quantum repeater. Some of our protocols share the attractive feature that local processing and complete error syndrome identification are realizable without online squeezing. Provided a supply of suitable multi-mode GKP states is available, this can be realized with a minimal set of passive linear optical operations, even when the logical qudits are composed of many physical qudits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Exact rate analysis for quantum repeaters with imperfect memories and entanglement swapping as soon as possible

We present an exact rate analysis for a secret key that can be shared among two parties employing a linear quantum repeater chain. One of our main motivations is to address the question whether simply placing quantum memories along a quantum communication channel can be beneficial in a realistic setting. The underlying model assumes deterministic entanglement swapping of single-spin quantum memories and it excludes probabilistic entanglement distillation, and thus two-way classical communication, on higher nesting levels. Within this framework, we identify the essential properties of any optimal repeater scheme: entanglement distribution in parallel, entanglement swapping as soon and parallel quantum storage as little as possible. While these features are obvious or trivial for the simplest repeater with one middle station, for more stations they cannot always be combined. We propose an optimal scheme including channel loss and memory dephasing, proving its optimality for the case of two stations and conjecturing it for the general case. In an even more realistic setting, we consider additional tools and parameters such as memory cut-offs, multiplexing, initial state and swapping gate fidelities, and finite link coupling efficiencies in order to identify potential regimes in memory-assisted quantum key distribution beyond one middle station that exceed the rates of the smallest quantum repeaters as well as those obtainable in all-optical schemes unassisted by stationary memory qubits and two-way classical communication.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Quantum error correction with higher Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill codes: minimal measurements and linear optics

We propose two schemes to obtain Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) error syndromes by means of linear optical operations, homodyne measurements and GKP ancillae. This includes showing that for a concatenation of GKP codes with a $[n,k,d]$ stabilizer code only $2n$ measurements are needed in order to obtain the complete syndrome information, significantly reducing the number of measurements in comparison to the canonical concatenated measurement scheme and at the same time generalizing linear-optics-based syndrome detections to higher GKP codes. Furthermore, we analyze the possibility of building the required ancilla states from single-mode states and linear optics. We find that for simple GKP codes this is possible, whereas for concatenations with qubit Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) codes of distance $d\geq3$ it is not. We also consider the canonical concatenated syndrome measurements and propose methods for avoiding crosstalk between ancillae. In addition, we make use of the observation that the concatenation of a GKP code with a stabilizer code forms a lattice in order to see the analog information decoding of such codes from a different perspective allowing for semi-analytic calculations of the logical error rates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Memory-assisted long-distance phase-matching quantum key distribution

We propose a scheme that generalizes the loss scaling properties of twin-field or phase-matching quantum key distribution (QKD) related to a channel of transmission $η_{total}$ from $\sqrt{η_{total}}$ to $\sqrt[2n]{η_{total}}$ by employing n-1 memory stations with spin qubits and n beam-splitter stations including optical detectors. Our scheme's resource states are similar to the coherent-state-based light-matter entangled states of a previous hybrid quantum repeater, but unlike the latter our scheme avoids the necessity of employing 2n-1 memory stations and writing the transmitted optical states into the matter memory qubits. The full scaling advantage of this memory-assisted phase-matching QKD (MA-PM QKD) is obtainable with threshold detectors in a scenario with only channel loss. We mainly focus on the obtainable secret-key rates per channel use for up to n=4 including memory dephasing and for n=2 (i.e., $\sqrt[4]{η_{total}}$-MA-PM QKD assisted by a single memory station) for error models including dark counts, memory dephasing and depolarization, and phase mismatch. By combining the twin-field concept of interfering phase-sensitive optical states with that of storing quantum states up to a cutoff memory time, distances well beyond 700 km with rates well above $η_{total}$ can be reached for realistic, high-quality quantum memories (up to 1s coherence time) and modest detector efficiencies. Similarly, the standard single-node quantum repeater, scaling as $\sqrt{η_{total}}$, can be beaten when approaching perfect detectors and exceeding spin coherence times of 5s; beating ideal twin-field QKD requires 1s. As for further experimental simplifications, our treatment includes the notion of weak nonlinearities for the light-matter states, a discussion on the possibility of using homodyne detectors, and a comparison between sequential and parallel entanglement distributions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Extending Quantum Links: Modules for Fiber- and Memory-Based Quantum Repeaters

We analyze elementary building blocks for quantum repeaters based on fiber channels and memory stations. Implementations are considered for three different physical platforms, for which suitable components are available: quantum dots, trapped atoms and ions, and color centers in diamond. We evaluate and compare the performances of basic quantum repeater links for these platforms both for present-day, state-of-the-art experimental parameters as well as for parameters that could in principle be reached in the future. The ultimate goal is to experimentally explore regimes at intermediate distances, up to a few 100 km, in which the repeater-assisted secret key transmission rates exceed the maximal rate achievable via direct transmission. We consider two different protocols, one of which is better adapted to the higher source clock rate and lower memory coherence time of the quantum dot platform, while the other circumvents the need of writing photonic quantum states into the memories in a heralded, non-destructive fashion. The elementary building blocks and protocols can be connected in a modular form to construct a quantum repeater system that is potentially scalable to large distances.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Efficiencies of logical Bell measurements on CSS codes with static linear optics

We show how the efficiency of a logical Bell measurement (BM) can be calculated for arbitrary CSS codes with the experimentally important constraint of using only transversal static linear-optical BMs on the physical single-photon qubit level. For this purpose, we utilize the codes' description in terms of stabilizers in order to calculate general efficiencies for the loss-free case, but also for specific cases including photon loss. These efficiencies can be, for instance, used for obtaining transmission rates of all-optical quantum repeaters. In the loss-free case, we demonstrate that the important class of CSS codes with identical physical-qubit support for the two logical Pauli ($Z$ and $X$) operators can only achieve a logical BM efficiency of $\frac{1}{2}$ if one always employs the same ancilla-free static linear optical BMs on the physical level. We apply our methods to various CSS codes including two-dimensional planar color and planar surface codes. We then find that in many cases, the fixed use of the standard linear optical BM for all physical BMs is suboptimal and performing linear optical transformations before doing the standard linear optical BM (still without any ancillary photons and without any feedforward) can increase the efficiency enormously. In fact, using this generalization in the no-loss (or sometimes also in the low-loss) case allows us, on the one hand, to improve the logical BM efficiency of quantum parity codes compared to previously known results and, on the other hand, it also enables us to enhance the efficiency of two-dimensional planar color codes, whose efficiency is otherwise subject to the above $\frac{1}{2}$ bound, to arbitrarily close to unity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Time-Harmonic Optical Chirality in Inhomogeneous Space

Optical chirality has been recently suggested to complement the physically relevant conserved quantities of the well-known Maxwell's equations. This time-even pseudoscalar is expected to provide further insight in polarization phenomena of electrodynamics such as spectroscopy of chiral molecules. Previously, the corresponding continuity equation was stated for homogeneous lossless media only. We extend the underlying theory to arbitrary setups and analyse piecewise-constant material distributions in particular. Our implementation in a Finite Element Method framework is applied to illustrative examples in order to introduce this novel tool for the analysis of time-harmonic simulations of nano-optical devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Fix-lines and stability domain in the vicinity of the coupled third order resonance

The single particle stability in a circular accelerator is of concern especially for operational regimes involving beam storage of hours. In the proximity to a resonance this stability domain shrinks, and the phase space fragments into a jungle of exotic objects like for instance "fix-lines". The concept of fix-points is easily understandable in a 2D phase space. It becomes quite challenging when the effect of resonances is considered in the 4D phase space, which leads then to the concept of fix-lines. In this paper we investigate the fix-lines in the proximity of a coupled third order resonance and find the relation of these objects with the stability of motion.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2014

Design Principles for Plasmonic Nanoparticle Devices

For all applications of plasmonics to technology it is required to tailor the resonance to the optical system in question. This chapter gives an understanding of the design considerations for nanoparticles needed to tune the resonance. First the basic concepts of plasmonics are reviewed with a focus on the physics of nanoparticles. An introduction to the finite element method is given with emphasis on the suitability of the method to nanoplasmonic device simulation. The effects of nanoparticle shape on the spectral position and lineshape of the plasmonic resonance are discussed including retardation and surface curvature effects. The most technologically important plasmonic materials are assessed for device applicability and the importance of substrates in light scattering is explained. Finally the application of plasmonic nanoparticles to photovoltaic devices is discussed.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2012

Transparent boundary conditions based on the Pole Condition for time-dependent, two-dimensional problems

The pole condition approach for deriving transparent boundary conditions is extended to the time-dependent, two-dimensional case. Non-physical modes of the solution are identified by the position of poles of the solution's spatial Laplace transform in the complex plane. By requiring the Laplace transform to be analytic on some problem dependent complex half-plane, these modes can be suppressed. The resulting algorithm computes a finite number of coefficients of a series expansion of the Laplace transform, thereby providing an approximation to the exact boundary condition. The resulting error decays super-algebraically with the number of coefficients, so relatively few additional degrees of freedom are sufficient to reduce the error to the level of the discretization error in the interior of the computational domain. The approach shows good results for the Schr\"odinger and the drift-diffusion equation but, in contrast to the one-dimensional case, exhibits instabilities for the wave and Klein-Gordon equation. Numerical examples are shown that demonstrate the good performance in the former and the instabilities in the latter case.

math.NA↗

arXiv2012

Numerical solution of nonlocal hydrodynamic Drude model for arbitrary shaped nano-plasmonic structures using N\'ed\'elec finite elements

Nonlocal material response distinctively changes the optical properties of nano-plasmonic scatterers and waveguides. It is described by the nonlocal hydrodynamic Drude model, which -- in frequency domain -- is given by a coupled system of equations for the electric field and an additional polarization current of the electron gas modeled analogous to a hydrodynamic flow. Recent works encountered difficulties in dealing with the grad-div operator appearing in the governing equation of the hydrodynamic current. Therefore, in these studies the model has been simplified with the curl-free hydrodynamic current approximation; but this causes spurious resonances. In this paper we present a rigorous weak formulation in the Sobolev spaces $H(\mathrm{curl})$ for the electric field and $H(\mathrm{div})$ for the hydrodynamic current, which directly leads to a consistent discretization based on N\'ed\'elec's finite element spaces. Comparisons with the Mie theory results agree well. We also demonstrate the capability of the method to handle any arbitrary shaped scatterer.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2007

Finite Element simulation of radiation losses in photonic crystal fibers

In our work we focus on the accurate computation of light propagation in finite size photonic crystal structures with the finite element method (FEM). We discuss how we utilize numerical concepts like high-order finite elements, transparent boundary conditions and goal-oriented error estimators for adaptive grid refinement in order to compute radiation leakage in photonic crystal fibers and waveguides. Due to the fast convergence of our method we can use it e.g. to optimize the design of photonic crystal structures with respect to geometrical parameters, to minimize radiation losses and to compute attenutation spectra for different geometries.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

Adaptive Finite Element Method for Simulation of Optical Nano Structures

We discuss realization, properties and performance of the adaptive finite element approach to the design of nano-photonic components. Central issues are the construction of vectorial finite elements and the embedding of bounded components into the unbounded and possibly heterogeneous exterior. We apply the finite element method to the optimization of the design of a hollow core photonic crystal fiber. Thereby we look at the convergence of the method and discuss automatic and adaptive grid refinement and the performance of higher order elements.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2006

Domain Decomposition Method for Maxwell's Equations: Scattering off Periodic Structures

We present a domain decomposition approach for the computation of the electromagnetic field within periodic structures. We use a Schwarz method with transparent boundary conditions at the interfaces of the domains. Transparent boundary conditions are approximated by the perfectly matched layer method (PML). To cope with Wood anomalies appearing in periodic structures an adaptive strategy to determine optimal PML parameters is developed. We focus on the application to typical EUV lithography line masks. Light propagation within the multi-layer stack of the EUV mask is treated analytically. This results in a drastic reduction of the computational costs and allows for the simulation of next generation lithography masks on a standard personal computer.

math.NA↗