arXiv subjects

Nicolas Gisin

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas Gisin.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Nonlocality of $W$ and Dicke states subject to losses

We discuss the nonlocality of the $W$ and the Dicke states subject to losses. We consider two noise models, namely loss of excitations and loss of particles, and investigate how much loss can be tolerated such that the final state remains nonlocal. This leads to a measure of robustness of the nonlocality of Dicke states, with a clear physical interpretation. Our results suggest that the relation between nonlocality and entanglement of Dicke states is not monotonous.

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arXiv2014

Using quantum key distribution for cryptographic purposes: a survey

The appealing feature of quantum key distribution (QKD), from a cryptographic viewpoint, is the ability to prove the information-theoretic security (ITS) of the established keys. As a key establishment primitive, QKD however does not provide a standalone security service in its own: the secret keys established by QKD are in general then used by a subsequent cryptographic applications for which the requirements, the context of use and the security properties can vary. It is therefore important, in the perspective of integrating QKD in security infrastructures, to analyze how QKD can be combined with other cryptographic primitives. The purpose of this survey article, which is mostly centered on European research results, is to contribute to such an analysis. We first review and compare the properties of the existing key establishment techniques, QKD being one of them. We then study more specifically two generic scenarios related to the practical use of QKD in cryptographic infrastructures: 1) using QKD as a key renewal technique for a symmetric cipher over a point-to-point link; 2) using QKD in a network containing many users with the objective of offering any-to-any key establishment service. We discuss the constraints as well as the potential interest of using QKD in these contexts. We finally give an overview of challenges relative to the development of QKD technology that also constitute potential avenues for cryptographic research.

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arXiv2014

Free-running InGaAs single photon detector with 1 dark count per second at 10% efficiency

We present a free-running single photon detector for telecom wavelengths based on a negative feedback avalanche photodiode (NFAD). A dark count rate as low as 1 cps was obtained at a detection efficiency of 10%, with an afterpulse probability of 2.2% for 20 μs of deadtime. This was achieved by using an active hold-off circuit and cooling the NFAD with a free-piston stirling cooler down to temperatures of -110${^o}$C. We integrated two detectors into a practical, 625 MHz clocked quantum key distribution system. Stable, real-time key distribution in presence of 30 dB channel loss was possible, yielding a secret key rate of 350 bps.

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arXiv2014

Quantifying multipartite nonlocality via the size of the resource

The generation of (Bell-)nonlocal correlations, i.e., correlations leading to the violation of a Bell-like inequality, requires the usage of a nonlocal resource, such as an entangled state. When given a correlation (a collection of conditional probability distributions) from an experiment or from a theory, it is desirable to determine the extent to which the participating parties would need to collaborate nonlocally for its (re)production. Here, we propose to achieve this via the minimal group size (MGS) of the resource, i.e., the smallest number of parties that need to share a given type of nonlocal resource for the above-mentioned purpose. In addition, we provide a general recipe --- based on the lifting of Bell-like inequalities --- to construct MGS witnesses for non-signaling resources starting from any given ones. En route to illustrating the applicability of this recipe, we also show that when restricted to the space of full-correlation functions, non-signaling resources are as powerful as unconstrained signaling resources. Explicit examples of correlations where their MGS can be determined using this recipe and other numerical techniques are provided.

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arXiv2014

Arbitrarily small amount of measurement independence is sufficient to manifest quantum nonlocality

The use of Bell's theorem in any application or experiment relies on the assumption of free choice or, more precisely, measurement independence, meaning that the measurements can be chosen freely. Here, we prove that even in the simplest Bell test - one involving 2 parties each performing 2 binary-outcome measurements - an arbitrarily small amount of measurement independence is sufficient to manifest quantum nonlocality. To this end, we introduce the notion of measurement dependent locality and show that the corresponding correlations form a convex polytope. These correlations can thus be characterized efficiently, e.g., using a finite set of Bell-like inequalities - an observation that enables the systematic study of quantum nonlocality and related applications under limited measurement independence.

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arXiv2014

Witnessing single-photon entanglement with local homodyne measurements: analytical bounds and robustness to losses

Single-photon entanglement is one of the primary resources for quantum networks, including quantum repeater architectures. Such entanglement can be revealed with only local homodyne measurements through the entanglement witness presented in [Morin et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 130401 (2013)]. Here, we provide an extended analysis of this witness by introducing analytical bounds and by reporting measurements confirming its great robustness with regard to losses. This study highlights the potential of optical hybrid methods, where discrete entanglement is characterized through continuous-variable measurements.

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arXiv2014

Quantum measurement of spins and magnets, and the classical limit of PR-boxes

When Alice measures all her spin-$\half$ of a large ensemble of $N$ singlets, all along the same direction $\vec a$, she prepares at a distance an ensemble of spins for Bob which, because of statistical fluctuations, have a magnetic moment of the order $\sqrt{N}$. By making $N$ large enough, this magnetic moment can be made arbitrarily large. We show that, nevertheless, Bob can't read out of this large magnetic moment Alice's choice of measurement direction $\vec a$. We also consider stronger than quantum correlations and show that Tsirelson's bound follows from the physical assumption that in the macroscopic limit all measurements are compatible and that this should not lead to signaling.

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arXiv2014

Provably Secure and Practical Quantum Key Distribution over 307 km of Optical Fibre

Proposed in 1984, quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two users to exchange provably secure keys via a potentially insecure quantum channel. Since then, QKD has attracted much attention and significant progress has been made in both theory and practice. On the application front, however, the operating distance of practical fibre-based QKD systems is limited to about 150 km, which is mainly due to the high background noise produced by commonly used semiconductor single-photon detectors (SPDs) and the stringent demand on the minimum classical- post-processing (CPP) block size. Here, we present a compact and autonomous QKD system that is capable of distributing provably-secure cryptographic key over 307 km of ultra-low-loss optical fibre (51.9 dB loss). The system is based on a recently developed standard semiconductor (inGaAs) SPDs with record low background noise and a novel efficient finite-key security analysis for QKD. This demonstrates the feasibility of practical long-distance QKD based on standard fibre optic telecom components.

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arXiv2014

A source of polarization-entangled photon pairs interfacing quantum memories with telecom photons

We present a source of polarization-entangled photon pairs suitable for the implementation of long-distance quantum communication protocols using quantum memories. Photon pairs with wavelengths 883 nm and 1338 nm are produced by coherently pumping two periodically poled nonlinear waveguides embedded in the arms of a polarization interferometer. Subsequent spectral filtering reduces the bandwidth of the photons to 240 MHz. The bandwidth is well-matched to a quantum memory based on an Nd:YSO crystal, to which, in addition, the center frequency of the 883 nm photons is actively stabilized. A theoretical model that includes the effect of the filtering is presented and accurately fits the measured correlation functions of the generated photons. The model can also be used as a way to properly assess the properties of the source. The quality of the entanglement is revealed by a visibility of V = 96.1(9)% in a Bell-type experiment and through the violation of a Bell inequality.

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arXiv2014

Anonymous Quantum Nonlocality

We show that for all $n\ge3$, an example of an $n$-partite quantum correlation that is not genuinely multipartite nonlocal but rather exhibiting anonymous nonlocality, that is, nonlocal but biseparable with respect to all bipartitions, can be obtained by locally measuring the $n$-partite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state. This anonymity is a manifestation of the impossibility to attribute unambiguously the underlying multipartite nonlocality to any definite subset(s) of the parties, even though the correlation can indeed be produced by nonlocal collaboration involving only such subsets. An explicit biseparable decomposition of these correlations is provided for any partitioning of the $n$ parties into two groups. Two possible applications of these anonymous GHZ correlations in the device-independent setting are discussed: multipartite secret sharing between any two groups of parties and bipartite quantum key distribution that is robust against nearly arbitrary leakage of information.

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arXiv2014

Quantum random number generation on a mobile phone

Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) can significantly improve the security of cryptographic protocols, by ensuring that generated keys cannot be predicted. However, the cost, size, and power requirements of current QRNGs has prevented them from becoming widespread. In the meantime, the quality of the cameras integrated in mobile telephones has improved significantly, so that now they are sensitive to light at the few-photon level. We demonstrate how these can be used to generate random numbers of a quantum origin.

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arXiv2014

Cavity-enhanced storage in an optical spin-wave memory

We report on the experimental demonstration of an optical spin-wave memory, based on the atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, where the storage efficiency is strongly enhanced by an optical cavity. The cavity is of low finesse, but operated in an impedance matching regime to achieve high absorption in our intrinsically low-absorbing Eu3+:Y2SiO5 crystal. For storage of optical pulses as an optical excitation (AFC echoes), we reach efficiencies of 53% and 28% for 2 and 10 microseconds delays, respectively. For a complete AFC spin-wave memory we reach an efficiency of 12%, including spin-wave dephasing, which is a 12-fold increase with respect to previous results in this material. This result is an important step towards the goal of making efficient and long-lived quantum memories based on spin waves, in the context of quantum repeaters and quantum networks.

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arXiv2014

Classifying 50 years of Bell inequalities

Since John S. Bell demonstrated the interest of studying linear combinations of probabilities in relation with the EPR paradox in 1964, Bell inequalities have lead to numerous developments. Unfortunately, the description of Bell inequalities is subject to several degeneracies, which make any exchange of information about them unnecessarily hard. Here, we analyze these degeneracies and propose a decomposition for Bell-like inequalities based on a set of reference expressions which is not affected by them. These reference expressions set a common ground for comparing Bell inequalities. We provide algorithms based on finite group theory to compute this decomposition. Implementing these algorithms allows us to set up a compendium of reference Bell-like inequalities, available online at http://www.faacets.com . This website constitutes a platform where registered Bell-like inequalities can be explored, new inequalities can be compared to previously-known ones and relevant information on Bell inequalities can be added in a collaborative manner.

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arXiv2014

Heralded single phonon preparation, storage and readout in cavity optomechanics

We analyze theoretically how to use the radiation pressure coupling between a mechanical oscillator and an optical cavity field to generate in a heralded way a single quantum of mechanical motion (a Fock state), and release on-demand the stored excitation as a single photon. Starting with the oscillator close to its ground state, a laser pumping the upper motional sideband leads to dynamical backaction amplification and to the creation of correlated photon-phonon pairs. The detection of one Stokes photon thus projects the macroscopic oscillator into a single-phonon Fock state. The non-classical nature of this mechanical state can be demonstrated by applying a readout laser on the lower sideband (i.e. optical cooling) to map the phononic state to a photonic mode, and by performing an autocorrelation measurement on the anti-Stokes photons. We discuss the relevance of our proposal for the future of cavity optomechanics as an enabling quantum technology.

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arXiv2014

How difficult it is to prove the quantumness of macroscropic states?

General wisdom tells us that if two quantum states are ``macroscopically distinguishable'' then their superposition should be hard to observe. We make this intuition precise and general by quantifying the difficulty to observe the quantum nature of a superposition of two states that can be distinguished without microscopic accuracy. First, we quantify the distinguishability of any given pair of quantum states with measurement devices lacking microscopic accuracy, i.e. measurements suffering from limited resolution or limited sensitivity. Next, we quantify the required stability that have to be fulfilled by any measurement setup able to distinguish their superposition from a mere mixture. Finally, by establishing a relationship between the stability requirement and the ``macroscopic distinguishability'' of the two superposed states, we demonstrate that indeed, the more distinguishable the states are, the more demanding are the stability requirements.

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arXiv2014

Quantum teleportation from a telecom-wavelength photon to a solid-state quantum memory

In quantum teleportation, the state of a single quantum system is disembodied into classical information and purely quantum correlations, to be later reconstructed onto a second system that has never directly interacted with the first one. This counterintuitive phenomenon is a cornerstone of quantum information science due to its essential role in several important tasks such as the long-distance transmission of quantum information using quantum repeaters. In this context, a challenge of paramount importance is the distribution of entanglement between remote nodes, and to use this entanglement as a resource for long-distance light-to-matter quantum teleportation. Here we demonstrate quantum teleportation of the polarization state of a telecom-wavelength photon onto the state of a solid-state quantum memory. Entanglement is established between a rare-earth-ion doped crystal storing a single photon that is polarization-entangled with a flying telecom-wavelength photon. The latter is jointly measured with another flying qubit carrying the polarization state to be teleported, which heralds the teleportation. The fidelity of the polarization state of the photon retrieved from the memory is shown to be greater than the maximum fidelity achievable without entanglement, even when the combined distances travelled by the two flying qubits is 25 km of standard optical fibre. This light-to-matter teleportation channel paves the way towards long-distance implementations of quantum networks with solid-state quantum memories.

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arXiv2014

Tripartite quantum state violating the hidden influence constraints

The possibility to explain quantum correlations via (possibly) unknown causal influences propagating gradually and continuously at a finite speed v > c has attracted a lot of attention recently. In particular, it could be shown that this assumption leads to correlations that can be exploited for superluminal communication. This was achieved studying the set of possible correlations that are allowed within such a model and comparing them to correlations produced by local measurements on a four-party entangled quantum state. Here, we report on a quantum state that allows for the same conclusion involving only three parties.

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arXiv2014

A possible definition of a {\it Realistic} Physics Theory

A definition of a {\it Realistic} Physics Theory is proposed based on the idea that, at all time, the set of physical properties possessed (at that time) by a system should unequivocally determine the probabilities of outcomes of all possible measurements.

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