arXiv subjects

Hai-Tao Tu

Publications and source records attributed to Hai-Tao Tu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum-memory-assisted on-demand microwave-optical transduction

Microwave-optical transducers and quantum memories are essential for quantum repeaters enabling a quantum internet. Despite advances in both technologies, integrating these functionalities remains challenging. Here, we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate an on-demand microwave-optical quantum transducer based on a Rydberg ensemble. Using cascaded electromagnetically induced transparency, we store microwave photons in a highly excited collective state and convert them into optical photons during retrieval. Leveraging an optical depth of millions for microwave photons and minimal single-photon-level dephasing, our transducer achieves around 90\% area-normalized storage efficiency, 2.3 MHz bandwidth, and noise-equivalent temperature of 26 K under cavity-free conditions. Furthermore, our system is cryogenically compatible and extendable for high single-photon conversion efficiency without requiring optical cavity coupling. These findings advance practical on-demand quantum interfaces with broad applications across atomic and solid-state platforms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Approaching the standard quantum limit of a Rydberg-atom microwave electrometer

The development of a microwave electrometer with inherent uncertainty approaching its ultimate limit carries both fundamental and technological significance. Recently, the Rydberg electrometer has garnered considerable attention due to its exceptional sensitivity, small-size, and broad tunability. This specific quantum sensor utilizes low-entropy laser beams to detect disturbances in atomic internal states, thereby circumventing the intrinsic thermal noise encountered by its classical counterparts. However, due to the thermal motion of atoms, the advanced Rydberg-atom microwave electrometer falls considerably short of the standard quantum limit by over three orders of magnitude. In this study, we utilize an optically thin medium with approximately 5.2e5 laser-cooled atoms to implement heterodyne detection. By mitigating a variety of noises and strategically optimizing the parameters of the Rydberg electrometer, our study achieves an electric-field sensitivity of 10.0 nV/cm/Hz^1/2 at a 100 Hz repetition rate, reaching a factor of 2.6 above the standard quantum limit and a minimum detectable field of 540 pV/cm. We also provide an in-depth analysis of noise mechanisms and determine optimal parameters to bolster the performance of Rydberg-atom sensors. Our work provides insights into the inherent capacities and limitations of Rydberg electrometers, while offering superior sensitivity for detecting weak microwave signals in numerous applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

High efficiency coherent microwave-to-optics conversion via off-resonant scattering

Quantum transducers that can convert quantum signals from the microwave to the optical domain are a crucial optical interface for quantum information technology. Coherent microwave-to-optics conversions have been realized with various physical platforms, but all of them are limited to low efficiencies of less than 50\%, the threshold of the no-cloning quantum regime. Here we report a coherent microwave-to-optics transduction using Rydberg atoms and off-resonant scattering technique with an efficiency of $82\pm 2\%$ and a bandwidth of about 1 MHz. The high conversion efficiency is maintained for microwave photons range from thousands to about 50, suggesting that our transduction is readily applicable to the single-photon level. Without requiring cavities or aggressive cooling to quantum ground states, our results would push atomic transducers closer to practical applications in quantum technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Microwave electrometry via electromagnetically induced absorption in cold Rydberg atoms

The atom-based traceable standard for microwave electrometry shows promising advantages by enabling stable and uniform measurement. Here we theoretically propose and then experimentally realize an alternative direct International System of Units (SI)-traceable and self-calibrated method for measuring a microwave electric field strength based on electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) in cold Rydberg atoms. Comparing with the method of electromagnetically induced transparency, we show that the equivalence relation between microwave Rabi frequency and Autler-Townes splitting is more valid and is even more robust against the experimental parameters in the EIA's linear region. Furthermore, a narrower linewidth of cold Rydberg EIA enables us to realize a direct SI-traceable microwave-electric-field measurement as small as $\sim$100 $μ\mathrm{\!V} \mathrm{cm}^{\!-\!1}$.

quant-ph↗