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Jonas S. Neergaard-Nielsen

Publications and source records attributed to Jonas S. Neergaard-Nielsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

FPGA Based Feedforward System for Photonic Quantum Computing Applications

Field-programmable gate arrays provide a high-performance solution for real-time signal processing in emerging quantum and photonic technologies. We present an FPGA-based fast feedforward system, that incorporates a high quantum efficiency fully fibre based homodyne detector, to enable low-latency signal processing critical for continuous variables (CV) measurement-based quantum information processing (MB-QIP) protocols. CV MB-QIP typically relies on adaptive measurements and/or displacements via feedforward to achieve scalability and universality, but existing implementations typically handle these operations in post-processing, limiting real-time applicability. Our system performs signal acquisition, conditioning, and logic operations in real-time, meeting the tight latency requirements of photonic quantum computing protocols. The detector exhibits a large clearance of 15 dB at 1 GHz with 4 mW linear oscillator and quantum efficiencies of >95% with a total system latency of 196 ns. This work highlights the role of FPGAs in bridging the gap between theoretical models and physical implementations in photonics-based technologies

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Phase-Sensitive Crystal-Edge Effects in Linear Optical Parametric Oscillators: Why Nominally Identical Squeezers Behave Differently

Efficient and reproducible squeezed-light sources are essential for quantum information processing and precision metrology. Compact linear standing-wave optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are attractive because they combine low optical loss, low pump-power requirements, and large longitudinal mode spacing. In doubly resonant cavities, however, the nonlinear interaction is not determined solely by bulk phase matching: forward- and backward-generated fields recombine coherently, making the effective gain sensitive to crystal-edge termination, wavelength-dependent coating phases, and the cavity resonance condition. Here, we show that these microscopic phase contributions can produce large threshold variations between nominally similar OPOs. We combine double-pass second-harmonic generation with OPO threshold measurements to extract the relevant crystal-cavity phases and analyse three linear OPO systems. The observed devices exhibit threshold variations of up to nearly six-fold, traced to the phase-dependent nonlinear-gain envelope at accessible doubly resonant operating points. Our results establish a phase-aware framework for compact linear OPOs and provide design guidelines for reproducible low-threshold squeezed-light sources in scalable photonic quantum systems.

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Integrated squeezed light sources for two-mode entanglement in thin-film lithium niobate

Scalable generation of nonclassical light sources on an integrated platform is a key requirement for photonic quantum information processing. In particular, realizing multiple indistinguishable squeezed light sources on a single chip is an essential step toward continuous-variable quantum computing. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of two indistinguishable and independently controllable optical parametric oscillators on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform. The device design focuses on reproducibility, independent tunability, and compatibility with larger telecom-wavelength continuous-variable photonic circuits. We observe up to 0.5 dB of directly measured squeezing below the shot-noise level from each source. By interfering the two modes on a beam splitter, we generate an EPR-type two-mode squeezed state and verify continuous-variable entanglement through violation of the Duan-Simon inseparability criterion. This is the first demonstration of two independently tunable squeezed-light sources on a single TFLN chip and their use for generating continuous-variable entanglement.

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Testing a continuous-variable noncontextuality inequality with a hybrid-encoded system

Continuous-variable quantum systems are promising candidates for quantum computing and quantum information processing. It is widely known that quadrature measurements on Gaussian continuous-variable systems admit a noncontextual hidden-variable description. Here, we demonstrate that this description fails once the same Gaussian correlations are instead probed using Hadamard tests. We realize the test with a hybrid discrete--continuous-variable system---the polarization and spatial modes of a single photon deterministically generated from an InAs/GaAs quantum emitter, with the controlled operations being the phase-space displacements selected through the Gottesman--Kitaev--Preskill correspondence. By directly measuring the correlations of the operators, we observe a violation of the noncontextual hidden-variable inequality by 380 standard deviations and independently bound the residual noncommutativity of the implemented operations. Our results open up new possibilities for studying fundamental quantum physics using photonic-encoded continuous-variable systems.

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Non-Gaussian entanglement revealed by higher-order quadrature cumulants

Entanglement is central to quantum physics, yet detecting and exploiting it in non-Gaussian systems remains a major challenge. In continuous variable platforms, standard inseparability criteria based on Gaussian statistics-such as the Duan-Simon criterion-fail when quantum correlations are encoded in higher moments of the field quadratures. Here we introduce a framework for detecting non-Gaussian entanglement using higher-order quadrature cumulants. In the Gaussian limit, the lowest order condition reduces to the Duan criterion, while higher-order violations reveal entanglement inaccessible to second-order methods. We experimentally demonstrate a tomography-free certification of inseparability in photon-subtracted squeezed states of light, where Gaussian witnesses fail despite the presence of entanglement. We further show that such higher-order inseparability enables enhanced quantum teleportation of Wigner negativity as compared to Gaussian protocols. These results identify higher-order cumulants as natural observables for non-Gaussian entanglement and open new routes to harnessing non-Gaussian resources in continuous variable quantum technologies.

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Distribution of non-Gaussian states in a deployed telecommunication fiber channel

Optical non-Gaussian states hold great promise as a pivotal resource for advanced optical quantum information processing and fault-tolerant long-distance quantum communication. Establishing their faithful transmission in a real-world communication channel, therefore, marks an important milestone. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the distribution of such non-Gaussian states in a functioning telecommunication channel that connects separate buildings within the DTU campus premises. We send photon-subtracted squeezed states, exhibiting pronounced Wigner negativity, through 300 m of deployed optical fibers to a distant building. Using quantum homodyne tomography, we fully characterize the states upon arrival. Our results show the survival of the Wigner function negativity after transmission when correcting for detection losses, indicating that the established link can potentially facilitate the violation of Bell's inequality and enable quantum steering. This achievement not only validates the practical feasibility of distributing non-Gaussian states in real-world settings, but also provides an exciting impetus towards realizing fully coherent quantum networks for high-dimensional, continuous-variable quantum information processing.

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Fast simulations of continuous-variable circuits using the coherent state decomposition

We present \texttt{lcg\_plus}, an open-source Python library for the simulation of continuous-variable quantum circuits with both generaldyne and photon-number-resolving detector capabilities. Our framework merges the linear combination of Gaussians methodology with the coherent state decomposition of arbitrary non-Gaussian states, forming a bridge between the Gaussian and Fock basis representations. By tracking the Wigner function, we can simulate the action of Gaussian channels and measurements on multi-mode systems in a fast and accurate numerical framework. The calculation of the quality measures of quantum states is convenient in this formalism, and we derive expressions for the analytical gradients of these measures with respect to parameterized circuit elements. We demonstrate the utility of this methodology by optimizing the heralded preparation of a qunaught state, a crucial component for building a fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer, with a Gaussian Boson sampling circuit containing inefficient components.

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The loss tolerance of cat breeding for fault-tolerant grid state generation

The development of a continuous-variable photonic quantum computer depends on the reliable preparation of high-quality Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill states. The most promising GKP preparation scheme is the cat breeding protocol, which can generate GKP states deterministically given a source of squeezed cat states, using beam splitters, homodyne detectors and a feedforward displacement. However, analyzing the performance of the protocol under loss is cumbersome due to the exponential scaling of the system. By representing the Wigner function of the input states as a linear combination of Gaussians, we are able to quickly and accurately simulate several rounds of breeding with mixed input states. Using this novel method, we find that optical loss decreases the overall success probability of the protocol, and prohibits the preparation of a fault-tolerant GKP state when the loss exceeds 4\%. Our methodology is available as open-source code.

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Nullifiers of non-Gaussian cluster states through homodyne measurement

In continuous variable optical platforms, large-scale Gaussian cluster states have already been demonstrated, but non-Gaussian resources are essential to achieve universality and fault tolerance in measurement-based quantum computation. However, characterizing and certifying non-Gaussian cluster states remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we introduce a general framework for the characterization of non-Gaussian cluster states based on non-Gaussian nullifiers, extending the widely used Gaussian nullifier concept. We show that these nullifiers can be directly evaluated from homodyne measurement data, making them experimentally accessible. As an illustration, we derive and experimentally demonstrate non-Gaussian nullifiers for photon-subtracted squeezed states. Our results provide a practical and operational tool for certifying quantum non-Gaussianity in large-scale optical cluster states.

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Scalable architecture for measurement induced squeezed light interferometers

Scalable interferometers lie at the heart of photonic quantum technologies, but their expansion has been fundamentally limited by optical losses that grow with circuit depth. Here, we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a measurement-induced architecture for multimode squeezed-light interferometers that overcomes this barrier. By shifting complexity from deep optical networks to programmable homodyne measurements, we realize effective transformations within a shallow, low-loss platform. We validate the principle with a six-mode device and extend it to a 400-mode interferometer, marking a leap in scale beyond conventional designs. Crucially, this strategy not only enables scalable squeezed light interferometry but also provides a powerful route to the generation of large-scale entangled states - a key requirement for quantum computing, simulation, and communication. Our results establish measurement-induced circuits as a practical pathway toward noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) applications, and future demonstrations of quantum advantage.

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The Octo-Rail Lattice: a four-dimensional cluster state design

Macronode cluster states are promising for fault-tolerant continuous-variable quantum computation, combining gate teleportation via homodyne detection with the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill code for universality and error correction. While the two-dimensional Quad-Rail Lattice offers flexibility and low noise, it lacks the dimensionality required for topological error correction codes essential for fault tolerance. This work presents a four-dimensional cluster state, termed the Octo-Rail Lattice, generated using time-domain multiplexing. This new macronode design combines the noise properties and flexibility of the Quad-Rail Lattice with the possibility to run various topological error correction codes including surface and color codes. Besides, the presented experimental setup is easily scalable and includes only static optical components allowing for a straight-forward implementation. Analysis demonstrates that the Octo-Rail Lattice, when combined with GKP qunaught states and the surface code, exhibits noise performance compatible with a fault-tolerant threshold of 9.75 dB squeezing. This ensures universality and fault-tolerance without requiring additional resources such as other non-Gaussian states or feed-forward operations. This finding implies that the primary challenge in constructing an optical quantum computer lies in the experimental generation of these highly non-classical states. Finally, a generalisation of the design to arbitrary dimensions is introduced, where the setup size scales linearly with the number of dimensions. This general framework holds promise for applications such as state multiplexing and state injection.

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Quantum learning advantage on a scalable photonic platform

Recent advancements in quantum technologies have opened new horizons for exploring the physical world in ways once deemed impossible. Central to these breakthroughs is the concept of quantum advantage, where quantum systems outperform their classical counterparts in solving specific tasks. While much attention has been devoted to computational speedups, quantum advantage in learning physical systems remains a largely untapped frontier. Here, we present a photonic implementation of a quantum-enhanced protocol for learning the probability distribution of a multimode bosonic displacement process. By harnessing the unique properties of continuous-variable quantum entanglement, we obtain a massive advantage in sample complexity with respect to conventional methods without entangled resources. With approximately 5 dB of two-mode squeezing -- corresponding to imperfect Einstein--Podolsky--Rosen (EPR) entanglement -- we learn a 100-mode bosonic displacement process using 11.8 orders of magnitude fewer samples than a conventional scheme. Our results demonstrate that even with non-ideal, noisy entanglement, a significant quantum advantage can be realized in continuous-variable quantum systems. This marks an important step towards practical quantum-enhanced learning protocols with implications for quantum metrology, certification, and machine learning.

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Entanglement-enabled advantage for learning a bosonic random displacement channel

We show that quantum entanglement can provide an exponential advantage in learning properties of a bosonic continuous-variable (CV) system. The task we consider is estimating a probabilistic mixture of displacement operators acting on $n$ bosonic modes, called a random displacement channel. We prove that if the $n$ modes are not entangled with an ancillary quantum memory, then the channel must be sampled a number of times exponential in $n$ in order to estimate its characteristic function to reasonable precision; this lower bound on sample complexity applies even if the channel inputs and measurements performed on channel outputs are chosen adaptively. On the other hand, we present a simple entanglement-assisted scheme that only requires a number of samples independent of $n$, given a sufficient amount of squeezing. This establishes an exponential separation in sample complexity. We then analyze the effect of photon loss and show that the entanglement-assisted scheme is still significantly more efficient than any lossless entanglement-free scheme under mild experimental conditions. Our work illuminates the role of entanglement in learning continuous-variable systems and points toward experimentally feasible demonstrations of provable entanglement-enabled advantage using CV quantum platforms.

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Variational quantum algorithm for enhanced continuous variable optical phase sensing

Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) are hybrid quantum-classical approaches used for tackling a wide range of problems on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. Testing these algorithms on relevant hardware is crucial to investigate the effect of noise and imperfections and to assess their practical value. Here, we implement a variational algorithm designed for optimized parameter estimation on a continuous variable platform based on squeezed light, a key component for high-precision optical phase estimation. We investigate the ability of the algorithm to identify the optimal metrology process, including the optimization of the probe state and measurement strategy for small-angle optical phase sensing. Two different optimization strategies are employed, the first being a gradient descent optimizer using Gaussian parameter shift rules to estimate the gradient of the cost function directly from the measurements. The second strategy involves a gradient-free Bayesian optimizer, fine-tuning the system using the same cost function and trained on the data acquired through the gradient-dependent algorithm. We find that both algorithms can steer the experiment towards the optimal metrology process. However, they find minima not predicted by our theoretical model, demonstrating the strength of variational algorithms in modelling complex noise environments, a non-trivial task.

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Fully guided and phase locked Ti:PPLN waveguide squeezing for applications in quantum sensing

This work reports a fully guided setup for single-mode squeezing generation on integrated titanium-indiffused periodically poled nonlinear resonators. A continuous wave laser beam is delivered and the squeezed field is collected by single-mode fibers, where up to -3.17(9) dB of useful squeezing is available in fibers. To showcase the usefulness of such a fiber-coupled device, we applied the generated squeezed light in a fiber-based phase sensing experiment, showing a quantum enhancement in the signal-to-noise ratio of 0.35 dB. Moreover, our investigation of photorefraction's impact on the cavity resonance condition suggests that it causes system instabilities at high powers.

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Long Distance Nonlocality Test with Entanglement Swapping and Displacement-Based Measurements

We analyze an all-optical setup which enables Bell-inequality violation over long distances by exploiting probabilistic entanglement swapping. The setup involves only two-mode squeezers, displacements, beamsplitters, and on/off detectors. We analyze a scenario with dichotomic inputs and outputs, and check the robustness of the Bell inequality violation for up to 6 parties, with respect to phase-, amplitude-, and dark-count noise, as well as loss.

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Quantum Repeater using Two-Mode Squeezed States and Atomic Noiseless Amplifiers

We perform a theoretical investigation into how a two-mode squeezed vacuum state, that has undergone photon loss, can be stored and purified using noiseless amplification with a collection of solid-state qubits. The proposed method may be used to probabilistically increase the entanglement between the two parties sharing the state. The proposed amplification step is similar in structure to a set of quantum scissors. However, in this work the amplification step is realized by a state transfer from an optical mode to a set of solid-state qubits, which act as a quantum memory. We explore two different applications, the generation of entangled many-qubit registers, and the construction of quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum key distribution.

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Steering-based randomness certification with squeezed states and homodyne measurements

We present a scheme for quantum randomness certification based on quantum steering. The protocol is one-sided device independent, providing high security, but requires only states and measurements that are simple to realise on quantum optics platforms - entangled squeezed vacuum states and homodyne detection. This ease of implementation is demonstrated by certifying randomness in existing experimental data and implies that giga-hertz random bit rates should be attainable with current technology. Furthermore, the steering-based setting represents the closest to full device independence that can be achieved using purely Gaussian states and measurements.

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