arXiv subjects

José Capmany

Publications and source records attributed to José Capmany.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum Scattering Model of Dual Parallel Mach Zehnder Electro Optic Modulators: General Formalism, Impairments, and Applications to Frequency-Bin Photonic Quantum States

We present a quantum mechanical model of dual parallel Mach Zehnder electro-optic modulators (DPMZMs), derived using the quantum scattering formalism [1,2]. We obtain the complete, unrestricted transformation of single-photon and coherent input states through the DPMZM architecture, including independent radiofrequency drive conditions on each internal modulator, and recover the symmetric push pull operating point as an exact special case. We numerically evaluate the resulting frequency comb structure, quantify the device sensitivity to bias error, modulation-index imbalance, and RF noise, and use the model to design a DP-MZM-based frequency-bin qubit source, reporting its fidelity as a function of these impairments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Emergence of the Partial Trace from Classical Probability Theory

The partial trace is commonly introduced in quantum mechanics as an algebraic operation used to define reduced states of composite systems. However, the probabilistic origin of this operation goes systematically unnoticed in the literature. Here, we show that the partial trace emerges naturally from the requirement of consistency between the Born rule for measurement probabilities and the classical marginalization of probability mass functions. Starting from the classical marginalization rule relating joint and marginal probability distributions, we impose that the reduced density operator of a subsystem must reproduce the local measurement statistics derived from the global state. We show that this requirement directly leads to the standard expression of the partial trace. From this perspective, the reduced density operator appears not as an ad hoc algebraic construction, but as a natural consequence of the probabilistic structure of quantum mechanics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Noise in analog programmable-photonic computation

Analog Programmable-Photonic Computation (APC) leverages programmable integrated photonics (PIP) to perform high-speed matrix operations using optical waves. However, the continuous nature of optical waves that implement the analog bits or anbits - the fundamental unit of information in APC - makes computational results intrinsically sensitive to physical noise. Here, we establish and experimentally validate a comprehensive noise analysis in APC platforms using the geometric representation of the anbit in the Generalized Bloch Sphere (GBS). By modeling the physical noise sources in PIP circuits as random photocurrent fluctuations at the output of the opto-electrical (O/E) converter, and using error propagation theory, the noise statistics can be projected onto the GBS. This approach leads to specific noise maps in the GBS for each noise source, enabling the identification of the dominant noise sources within the APC system. Analytical predictions are numerically and experimentally validated on a fabricated silicon PIP chip. Beyond statistical characterization of system noise, the proposed model provides quantitative design criteria for noise-adapted analog constellations in the GBS, advancing APC towards scalable and robust optical computing systems, with potential applications in emerging paradigms such as photonic neuromorphic computing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

High-Speed Non-Volatile Barium Titanate Field Programmable Photonic Gate Array

Programmable integrated photonics aims to replicate the versatility of field-programmable gate arrays in the optical domain. However, scaling these systems has been prevented by the high power consumption and thermal crosstalk of conventional volatile phase shifters. Here, we demonstrate the first non-volatile field-programmable photonic gate array, implemented on a hybrid silicon-barium titanate platform. Unlike traditional thermo-optic devices that require constant power to maintain a state, our device utilizes ferroelectric domain switching to provide non-volatile memory, allowing optical circuits to be programmed and retained without any holding power or electrical bias. The hexagonal waveguide mesh integrates 58 programmable unit cells and 116 actuators, achieving nanosecond-scale switching speeds of 80 nanoseconds while reducing static power consumption to negligible levels (560 nanowatts per π phase shift). To validate this platform, we configured the mesh to perform diverse signal processing functions, including tunable filtering, 4x4 linear unitary transformations, and optical routing. This work establishes non-volatile ferroelectric silicon photonics as a scalable, heat-free platform essential for the next generation of energy-efficient photonic computing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Analog Programmable-Photonic Information

The limitations of digital electronics in handling real-time matrix operations for emerging computational tasks - such as artificial intelligence, drug design, and medical imaging - have prompted renewed interest in analog computing. Programmable Integrated Photonics (PIP) has emerged as a promising technology for scalable, low-power, and high-bandwidth analog computation. While prior work has explored PIP implementations of quantum and neuromorphic computing, both approaches face significant limitations due to misalignments between their mathematical models and the native capabilities of photonic hardware. Building on the recently proposed Analog Programmable-Photonic Computation (APC) - a computation theory explicitly matched to the technological features of PIP - we introduce its critical missing component: an information theory. We present Analog Programmable-Photonic Information (API), a mathematical framework that addresses fundamental concepts beyond APC by examining the amount of information that can be generated, computed and recovered in a PIP platform. API also demonstrates the robustness of APC against errors arising from system noise and hardware imperfections, enabling scalable computation without the extensive error-correction overhead required in quantum computing. Together, APC and API provide a unified foundation for on-chip photonic computing, offering a complementary alternative to digital, quantum and neuromorphic paradigms, and positioning PIP as a cornerstone technology for next-generation information processing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Analog Programmable-Photonic Computation

Digital electronics is a technological cornerstone in our modern society which has covered the increasing demand in computing power during the last decades thanks to a periodic doubling of transistor density and power efficiency in integrated circuits. Currently, such scaling laws are reaching their fundamental limits, leading to the emergence of a large gamut of applications that cannot be supported by digital electronics, specifically, those that involve real time analog multi-data processing, e.g., medical diagnostic imaging, robotic control and remote sensing, among others. In this scenario, an analog computing approach implemented in a real-time reconfigurable non-electronic hardware such as programmable integrated photonics (PIP) can be more efficient than digital electronics to perform these emerging applications. However, actual analog computing models such as quantum and neuromorphic computation were not conceived to extract the benefits of PIP technology (and integrated photonics in general). Here, we present the foundations of a new computation theory, termed Analog Programmable-Photonic Computation (APC), explicitly designed to unleash the full potential of PIP. Interestingly, APC enables overcoming basic theoretical and technological limitations of existing computational models, can be implemented in other technologies (e.g. in electronics, acoustics or using metamaterials) and, consequently, exhibits the potential to spark a ground-breaking impact on our information society.

cs.ET↗

arXiv2019

Modeling Optical Fiber Space Division Multiplexed Quantum Key Distribution Systems

We report a model to evaluate the performance of multiple quantum key distribution (QKD) channel transmission using spatial division multiplexing (SDM) in multicore (MCF) and few-mode fibers (FMF). The model is then used to analyze the feasibility of QKD transmission in 7-core MCFs for two scenarios of practical interest. First for transmission of only QKD channels, the second for simultaneous transmission of QKD and classical channels. In the first case, standard homogeneous MCFs enable transmission distances per core compatible with transmission parameters (distance and net key rate) very close to those of single core singlemode fibers. For the second case, heterogeneous MCFs must be employed to make this option feasible

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

A Monolithic Integrated Microwave Photonics Filter

Meeting the ever increasing demand for transmission capacity in wireless networks will require evolving towards higher regions in the radiofrequency spectrum, reducing cell sizes as well as resorting to more compact, agile and power efficient equipment at the base stations, capable of smoothly interfacing the radio and fiber segments. Photonic chips with fully functional microwave photonic systems are promising candidates to achieve these targets. Over the last years, many integrated microwave photonic chips have been reported in different technologies. However, and to the best of our knowledge, none of them have fully integrated all the required active and passive components. Here, we report the first ever demonstration of a microwave photonics tunable filter completely integrated in an Indium Phosphide chip and packaged. The chip implements a reconfigurable RF- photonic filter, it includes all the required elements, such as lasers, modulators and photodetectors, and its response can be tuned by means of control electric currents. This demonstration is a fundamental step towards the feasibility of compact and fully programmable integrated microwave photonic processors.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Thermal tuners on a Silicon Nitride platform

In this paper, the design trade-offs for the implementation of small footprint thermal tuners on silicon nitride are presented, and explored through measurements and supporting simulations of a photonic chip based on Mach-Zehnder Interferometers. Firstly, the electrical properties of the tuners are assessed, showing a compromise between compactness and deterioration. Secondly, the different variables involved in the thermal efficiency, switching power and heater dimensions, are analysed. Finally, with focus on exploring the limits of this compact tuners with regards to on chip component density, the thermal-cross talk is also investigated. Tuners with footprint of 270x5 μm 2 and switching power of 350 mW are reported, with thermal-cross talk, in terms of induced phase change in adjacent devices of less than one order of magnitude at distances over 20 μm. Paths for the improvement of thermal efficiency, power consumption and resilience of the devices are also outlined

physics.optics↗