arXiv subjects

Juan P. Torres

Publications and source records attributed to Juan P. Torres.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

A quantum-inspired Fredkin gate based on spatial modes of light

Distinguishing between strings of data or waveforms is at the core of multiple applications in information technologies. In a quantum language the task is to design protocols to differentiate quantum states. Quantum-based technologies promises to go beyond the capabilities offered by technologies based on classical principles. However the implementation of the logical gates that are the core of these systems is challenging since they should overcome quantum decoherence, low probability of success and are prone to errors. One unexpected contribution of considering ideas in the quantum world is to inspire similar solutions in the classical world (quantum-inspired technologies), protocols that aim at mimicking particular features of quantum algorithms. This is based on features of quantum physics also shared by waves in the classical world, such it is the case of interference or entanglement between degrees of freedom of a single particle. Here we demonstrate in a proof-of-concept experiment a new type of quantum-inspired protocol based on the idea of quantum fingerprinting (Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 167902, 2001). Information is encoded on optical beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM). These beams allow to implement a crucial element of our system, a new type of Fredkin gate or polarization-controlled SWAP operation that exchange data between OAM beams. The protocols can evaluate the similarity between pairs of waveforms and strings of bits and quarts without unveiling the information content of the data.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry on a biphoton beat note

Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, the fact that identical photons that arrive simultaneously on different input ports of a beam splitter bunch into a common output port, can be used to measure optical delays between different paths. It is generally assumed that great precision in the measurement requires that photons contain many frequencies, i.e., a large bandwidth. Here we challenge this well-known assumption and show that the use of two well-separated frequencies embedded in a quantum entangled state (discrete color entanglement) suffices to achieve great precision. We determine optimum working points using a Fisher Information analysis and demonstrate the experimental feasibility of this approach by detecting thermally-induced delays in an optical fiber. These results may significantly facilitate the use of quantum interference for quantum sensing, by avoiding some stringent conditions such as the requirement for large bandwidth signals.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Knotting fractional-order knots with the polarization state of light

The fundamental polarization singularities of monochromatic light are normally associated with invariance under coordinated rotations: symmetry operations that rotate the spatial dependence of an electromagnetic field by an angle $θ$ and its polarization by a multiple $γθ$ of that angle. These symmetries are generated by mixed angular momenta of the form $J_γ= L + γS$ and they generally induce Möbius-strip topologies, with the coordination parameter $γ$ restricted to integer and half-integer values. In this work we construct beams of light that are invariant under coordinated rotations for arbitrary $γ$, by exploiting the higher internal symmetry of 'bicircular' superpositions of counter-rotating circularly polarized beams at different frequencies. We show that these beams have the topology of a torus knot, which reflects the subgroup generated by the torus-knot angular momentum $J_γ$, and we characterize the resulting optical polarization singularity using third-and higher-order field moment tensors, which we experimentally observe using nonlinear polarization tomography.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Quantum random number generation by coherent detection of phase noise

We demonstrate a quantum random number generator based on the random nature of the phase difference between two independent laser sources. The speed of random bit generation is determined by the photodetector bandwidth and the linewidth of the lasers used. The system implemented is robust and generates a probability distribution of quantum origin which is intrinsically uniform and thus in principle needs no randomness extraction. The phase is measured with telecom equipment routinely used for high capacity coherent optical communications, which allows to keep track of the phase drift of the lasers and is readily available in the telecommunication industry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Spatial mode detection by frequency upconversion

The efficient creation and detection of spatial modes of light has become topical of late, driven by the need to increase photon-bit-rates in classical and quantum communications. Such mode creation/detection is traditionally achieved with tools based on linear optics. Here we put forward a new spatial mode detection technique based on the nonlinear optical process of sum-frequency generation. We outline the concept theoretically and demonstrate it experimentally with intense laser beams carrying orbital angular momentum and Hermite-Gaussian modes. Finally, we show that the method can be used to transfer an image from the infrared band to the visible, which implies the efficient conversion of many spatial modes.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Temperature-Controlled Entangled-Photon Absorption Spectroscopy

Entangled two-photon absorption spectroscopy (TPA) has been widely recognized as a powerful tool for revealing relevant information about the structure of complex molecular systems. However, to date, the experimental implementation of this technique has remained elusive, mainly because of two major difficulties. First, the need to perform multiple experiments with two-photon states bearing different temporal correlations, which translates in the necessity to have at the experimenter's disposal tens, if not hundreds, of sources of entangled photons. Second, the need to have \emph{a priori} knowledge of the absorbing medium's lowest-lying intermediate energy level. In this work, we put forward a simple experimental scheme that successfully overcomes these two limitations. By making use of a temperature-controlled entangled-photon source, which allows the tuning of the central frequencies of the absorbed photons, we show that the TPA signal, measured as a function of the temperature of the nonlinear crystal that generates the paired photons, and a controllable delay between them, carries all information about the electronic level structure of the absorbing medium, which can be revealed by a simple Fourier transformation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

How to automate a kinematic mount using a 3D printed Arduino-based system

We demonstrate a simple, flexible and cost-effective system to automatize most of the kinematic mounts available nowadays on the market. It combines 3D printed components, an Arduino board, stepper motors, and simple electronics. The system developed can control independently and simultaneously up to ten stepper motors using commands sent through the serial port, and it is suitable for applications where optical realignment using flat mirrors is required on a periodic basis.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Optical sectioning in induced coherence tomography with frequency-entangled photons

We demonstrate a different scheme to perform optical sectioning of a sample based on the concept of induced coherence [Zou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 318 (1991)]. This can be viewed as a different type of optical coherence tomography scheme where the varying reflectivity of the sample along the direction of propagation of an optical beam translates into changes of the degree of first-order coherence between two beams. As a practical advantage the scheme allows probing the sample with one wavelength and measuring photons with another wavelength. In a bio-imaging scenario, this would result in a deeper penetration into the sample because of probing with longer wavelengths, while still using the optimum wavelength for detection. The scheme proposed here could achieve submicron axial resolution by making use of nonlinear parametric sources with broad spectral bandwidth emission.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Space QUEST mission proposal: Experimentally testing decoherence due to gravity

Models of quantum systems on curved space-times lack sufficient experimental verification. Some speculative theories suggest that quantum properties, such as entanglement, may exhibit entirely different behavior to purely classical systems. By measuring this effect or lack thereof, we can test the hypotheses behind several such models. For instance, as predicted by Ralph and coworkers [T C Ralph, G J Milburn, and T Downes, Phys. Rev. A, 79(2):22121, 2009, T C Ralph and J Pienaar, New Journal of Physics, 16(8):85008, 2014], a bipartite entangled system could decohere if each particle traversed through a different gravitational field gradient. We propose to study this effect in a ground to space uplink scenario. We extend the above theoretical predictions of Ralph and coworkers and discuss the scientific consequences of detecting/failing to detect the predicted gravitational decoherence. We present a detailed mission design of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Space QUEST (Space - Quantum Entanglement Space Test) mission, and study the feasibility of the mission schema.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Observation of the full spiral spectrum of a light beam with single-pixel detection

We demonstrate experimentally a simple and easy-to-use technique aimed at measuring the complex orbital angular momentum spectrum of an arbitrary optical field making use of just polarization measurements. The technique can be applied to any other family of modes used to describe the spatial shape of optical beams. The idea is inspired by a formal analogy that exists between classical fields that can show a certain amount of correlations between different degrees of freedom (polarization and spatial shape) and the degree of entanglement that might exist between two subsystems, so it is an example of a quantum-inspired classical technology.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Noise-assisted energy transport in electrical oscillator networks with off-diagonal dynamical disorder

Noise is generally thought as detrimental for energy transport in coupled oscillator networks. However, it has been shown that for certain coherently evolving systems, the presence of noise can enhance, somehow unexpectedly, their transport efficiency; a phenomenon called environment-assisted quantum transport (ENAQT) or dephasing-assisted transport. Here, we report on the experimental observation of such effect in a network of coupled electrical oscillators. We demonstrate that by introducing stochastic fluctuations in one of the couplings of the network, a relative enhancement in the energy transport efficiency of $22.5 \pm 3.6\,\%$ can be observed.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2015

Revealing Hidden Coherence in Partially Coherent Light

Coherence and correlations represent two related properties of a compound system. The system can be, for instance, the polarization of a photon, which forms part of a polarization-entangled two-photon state, or the spatial shape of a coherent beam, where each spatial mode bears different polarizations. Whereas a local unitary transformation of the system does not affect its coherence, global unitary transformations modifying both the system and its surroundings can enhance its coherence, transforming mutual correlations into coherence. The question naturally arises of what is the best measure that quantifies the correlations that can be turned into coherence, and how much coherence can be extracted. We answer both questions, and illustrate its application for some typical simple systems, with the aim at illuminating the general concept of enhancing coherence by modifying correlations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Weak value amplification: a view from quantum estimation theory that highlights what it is and what isn't

Weak value amplification (WVA) is a concept that has been extensively used in a myriad of applications with the aim of rendering measurable tiny changes of a variable of interest. In spite of this, there is still an on-going debate about its true nature and whether is really needed for achieving high sensitivity. Here we aim at solving the puzzle, using some basic concepts from quantum estimation theory, highlighting what the use of the WVA concept can offer and what it can not. While WVA cannot be used to go beyond some fundamental sensitivity limits that arise from considering the full nature of the quantum states, WVA can notwithstanding enhance the sensitivity of real detection schemes that are limited by many other things apart from the quantum nature of the states involved, i.e. technical noise. Importantly, it can do that in a straightforward and easily accessible manner.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

A Measure of Flow Vorticity with Helical Beams of Light

Vorticity describes the spinning motion of a fluid, i.e., the tendency to rotate, at every point in a flow. The interest in performing accurate and localized measurements of vorticity reflects the fact that many of the quantities that characterize the dynamics of fluids are intimately bound together in the vorticity field, being an efficient descriptor of the velocity statistics in many flow regimes. It describes the coherent structures and vortex interactions that are at the leading edge of laminar, transitional, and turbulent flows in nature. The measurement of vorticity is of paramount importance in many research fields as diverse as biology microfluidics, complex motions in the oceanic and atmospheric boundary layers, and wake turbulence on fluid aerodynamics. However, the precise measurement of flow vorticity is difficult. Here we put forward an optical sensing technique to obtain a direct measurement of vorticity in fluids using Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams, optical beams which show an azimuthal phase variation that is the origin of its characteristic non-zero orbital angular momentum. The key point is to make use of the transversal Doppler effect of the returned signal that depends only on the azimuthal component of the flow velocity along the ring-shaped observation beam. We found from a detailed analysis of the experimental method that probing the fluid with LG beams is an effective and simple sensing technique capable to produce accurate estimates of flow vorticity.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Nonlinear optics determination of the symmetry group of a crystal using structured light

We put forward a technique to unveil to which symmetry group a nonlinear crystal belongs, making use of nonlinear optics with structured light. We consider as example the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The crystal, which is illuminated with a special type of Bessel beam, is characterized by a nonlinear susceptibility tensor whose structure is dictated by the symmetry group of the crystal. The observation of the spatial angular dependence of the lower-frequency generated light provides direct information about the symmetry group of the crystal.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Frequency conversion of structured light

We demonstrate the coherent frequency conversion of structured light, optical beams in which the phase varies in each point of the transverse plane, from the near infrared (803nm) to the visible (527nm). The frequency conversion process makes use of sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate (ppLN) crystal with the help of a 1540-nm Gaussian pump beam. We perform far-field intensity measurements of the frequency-converted field, and verify the sought-after transformation of the characteristic intensity and phase profiles for various input modes. The coherence of the frequency-conversion process is confirmed using a mode-projection technique with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. The presented results could be of great relevance to novel applications in high-resolution microscopy and quantum information processing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Demonstration of a highly-sensitive tunable beam displacer with no movable elements based on the concept of weak value amplification

We report the implementation of a highly sensitive beam displacer based on the concept of weak value amplification that allows to displace the centroid of a Gaussian beam a distance much smaller than its beam width without the need to use movable optical elements. The beam's centroid position can be displaced by controlling the linear polarization of the output beam, and the dependence between the centroid's position and the angle of polarization is linear.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Tunable beam displacer

We report the implementation of a tunable beam displacer, composed of a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) and two mirrors, that divides an initially polarized beam into two parallel beams whose separation can be continuously tuned. The two output beams are linearly polarized with either vertical or horizontal polarization and no optical path difference is introduced between them. The wavelength dependence of the device as well as the maximum separation between the beams achievable is limited mainly by the PBS characteristics.

physics.optics↗