arXiv subjects

Shi-Ning Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Shi-Ning Zhu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Rubidium referenced Kerr comb with cavity phase matching

Phase matching is a fundamental problem in nonlinear optics that is normally constrained by material dispersion. The limited operation wavelengths within phase matching window limits the application, including the precise metrology using Kerr combs. Demanding applications like compact optical clock and astronomical spectroscopy requires atomic reference around 800 nm, where the natural phase matching is challenging. Here we revisit the concept of cavity phase matching (CPM), and fully reveal its advantage to engineer artificial phase matching beyond material dispersion. With the access of CPM condition in a monolithic high-Q fiber Fabry-Pérot resonator featuring a macroscopic cavity length, we achieve low noise Kerr comb generation around 800 nm, within the power budget of a single-mode laser diode. Inside a pump-integrated package of 19 cm3, low phase noise of -125 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset frequency is achieved for a 10.1 GHz repetition rate. Most importantly, the generated Kerr comb has been directly referenced to rubidium atomic transition for long-term stable operation. This result not only opens a new way for Kerr comb generation at arbitrary wavelengths, but also can be generalized to any other nonlinear optical frequency conversion application.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

High Success Probability, Fidelity, and Purity Nonlinear Optical Two-Qubit Gates on Chip

Optical two-qubit gate with high success probability, fault-tolerant fidelity, and high-purity outputs is a fundamental yet unsolved challenge, essential for large-scale optical quantum computing toward quantum advantage. Here, we propose a feasible scheme for such gate using thin-film lithium niobate platform, enabling \c{hi}(2) nonlinear photon-photon interaction with 100% efficiency. By decoupling photon interaction and qubit flip operations, fidelity ceiling is removed, and output state purity is recovered by spectral-phase pre-compensation based on a full-spectral photon interaction model, yielding a CNOT gate with 84% success probability, 93% purity, and unity fidelity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quantum photonic frequency processor on thin-film lithium niobate

The rapid development of photonic quantum information processing necessitates precise and programmable control over optical frequency, a capability critical not only for achieving photon indistinguishability but also for exploiting a virtually unbounded frequency dimension. However, efficient and scalable processing of frequency-encoded photon states remains challenging, primarily due to the limited nonlinear optical interaction in most photonic materials. Here, by harnessing the high-performance thin-film lithium niobate electro-optic (EO) platform, we demonstrate an integrated quantum photonic frequency processor that enables coherent and programmable control of photon frequency with high precision. We establish a scalable architecture for frequency-encoded quantum information processing. Using a fully integrated photonic chip, we realize a universal set of frequency-encoded quantum logic gates, including arbitrary single-qubit rotation gates and the two-qubit controlled-phase gate. Furthermore, we demonstrate its application in high fidelity characterization of frequency-bin entangled states. Our work reveals the unprecedented potential of utilizing the frequency degree of freedom in integrated quantum photonic systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Experimental demonstration of drone-based quantum key distribution

Quantum state transferring has been demonstrated using drones via entanglement distribution. Here we demonstrate the first drone-based quantum task, for quantum key distribution (QKD). Compact and polarization-maintaining acquisition, pointing, and tracking system and QKD modules are developed and loaded on a home-made octocopter, within takeoff weight of 30 kg. Real-time QKD is performed over 200 m distance with 8.48 kHz average secret key rate, using polarization-coded decoy-state BB84 protocol. With the capability of secret key distribution using a drone, wireless communication can be expected with enhanced security in the quantum approach, between mobile nodes towards a network.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

High-gain optical parametric amplification with a continuous-wave pump using a domain-engineered thin-film lithium niobate waveguide

While thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) is known for efficient signal generation, on-chip signal amplification remains challenging from fully integrated optical communication circuits. Here we demonstrate the continuous-wave-pump optical parametric amplification (OPA) using an x-cut domain-engineered TFLN waveguide, with high gain over the telecom band up to 13.9 dB, and test it for high signal-to-noise ratio signal amplification using a commercial optical communication module pair. Fabricated in wafer scale using common process as devices including modulators, this OPA device marks an important step in TFLN photonic integration.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Passively stable 0.7-octave microcombs in thin-film lithium niobate microresonators

Optical frequency comb based on microresonator (microcomb) is an integrated coherent light source and has the potential to promise a high-precision frequency standard, and self-reference and long-term stable microcomb is the key to this realization. Here, we demonstrated a 0.7-octave spectrum Kerr comb via dispersion engineering in a thin film lithium niobate microresonator, and the single soliton state can be accessed passively with long-term stability over 3 hours. With such a robust broadband coherent comb source using thin film lithium niobate, fully stabilized microcomb can be expected for massive practical applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

High speed free-space optical communication using standard fiber communication component without optical amplification

Free-space optical communication (FSO) can achieve fast, secure and license-free communication without need for physical cables, making it a cost-effective, energy-efficient and flexible solution when the fiber connection is unavailable. To establish FSO connection on-demand, it is essential to build portable FSO devices with compact structure and light weight. Here, we develop a miniaturized FSO system and realize 9.16 Gbps FSO between two nodes that is 1 km apart, using a commercial single-mode-fiber-coupled optical transceiver module without optical amplification. Using our 4-stage acquisition, pointing and tracking (APT) systems, the tracking error is within 3 μrad and results an average link loss of 13.7 dB, which is the key for this high-bandwidth FSO demonstration without optical amplification. Our FSO link has been tested up to 4 km, with link loss of 18 dB that is limited by the foggy weather during the test. Longer FSO distances can be expected with better weather condition and optical amplification. With single FSO device weight of only 9.5 kg, this result arouses massive applications of field-deployable high-speed wireless communication.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2022

Self-testing of different entanglement resources via fixed measurement settings

Self-testing, which refers to device independent characterization of the state and the measurement, enables the security of quantum information processing task certified independently of the operation performed inside the devices. Quantum states lie in the core of self-testing as key resources. However, for the different entangled states, usually different measurement settings should be taken in self-testing recipes. This may lead to the redundancy of measurement resources. In this work, we use fixed two-binary measurements and answer the question that what states can be self-tested with the same settings. By investigating the structure of generalized tilted-CHSH Bell operators with sum of squares decomposition method, we show that a family of two-qubit entangled states can be self-tested by the same measurement settings. The robustness analysis indicates that our scheme is feasible for practical experiment instrument. Moreover, our results can be applied to various quantum information processing tasks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Real-time superresolution interferometric measurement enabled by structured nonlinear optics

Optical interferometers are pillars of modern precision metrology, but their resolution is limited by the wavelength of the light source, which cannot be infinitely reduced. Magically, this limitation can be circumvented by using an entangled multiphoton source because interference produced by an N-photon amplitude features a reduced de Broglie wavelength λ/N. However, the extremely low efficiency in multiphoton state generation and coincidence counts actually negates the potential of using multiphoton states in practical measurements. Here, we demonstrate a novel interferometric technique based on structured nonlinear optics, i.e., parametric upconversion of a structured beam, capable of superresolution measurement in real time. The main principle relies in that the orbital angular momentum (OAM) state and associated intramodal phase within the structured beam are both continuously multiplied in cascading upconversion to mimic the superresolved phase evolution of a multiphoton amplitude. Owing to the use of bright sensing beams and OAM mode projection, up to a 12-photon de Broglie wavelength with almost perfect visibility is observed in real time and, importantly, by using only a low-cost detector. Our results open the door to real-time superresolution interferometric metrology and provide a promising way toward multiphoton superiority in practical applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

A Scheme for Deterministic N-photon State Generation Using Lithium Niobate on Insulator Device

Large-photon-number quantum state is a fundamental but non-resolved request for practical quantum information applications. Here we propose an N-photon state generation scheme that is feasible and scalable, using lithium niobate on insulator circuits. Such scheme is based on the integration of a common building block called photon-number doubling unit (PDU), for deterministic single-photon parametric down-conversion and up-conversion. The PDU relies on 10^7-optical-quality-factor resonator and mW-level on-chip power, which is within the current fabrication and experiment limits. N-photon state generation schemes, with cluster and GHZ state as examples, are shown for different quantum tasks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Arbitrary coherent distributions in a programmable quantum walk

The coherent superposition of position states in a quantum walk (QW) can be precisely engineered towards the desired distributions to meet the need of quantum information applications. The coherent distribution can make full use of quantum parallel in computation and simulation. Particularly, the uniform superposition provides the robust non-locality, which has wide applications such as the generation of genuine multi-bit random numbers without post-processing. We experimentally demonstrate that the rich dynamics featured with arbitrary coherent distributions can be obtained by introducing different sets of the time- and position-dependent operations. Such a QW is realized by a resource-constant and flexible optical circuit, in which the variable operation is executed based on a Sagnac interferometer in an intrinsically stable and precisely controlled way. Our results contribute to the practical realization of quantum-walk-based quantum computation, quantum simulations and quantum information protocols.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Maximal coin-walker entanglement in a ballistic quantum walk

We report the position-inhomogeneous quantum walk (IQW) can be utilized to produce the maximal high dimensional entanglement while maintaining the quadratic speedup spread of the wave-function. Our calculations show that the maximal coin-walker entanglement can be generated in any odd steps or asymptotically in even steps, and the nearly maximal entanglement can be obtained in even steps after $2$. We implement the IQW by a stable resource-saving time-bin optical network, in which a polarization Sagnac loop is employed to realize the precisely tunable phase shift. Our approach opens up an efficient way for high-dimensional entanglement engineering as well as promotes investigations on the role of coin-walker interactions in QW based applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Probing rotated Weyl physics on nonlinear lithium niobate-on-insulator chips

Topological photonics, featured by stable topological edge states resistant to perturbations, has been utilized to design robust integrated devices. Here, we present a study exploring the intriguing topological rotated Weyl physics in a 3D parameter space based on quaternary waveguide arrays on lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) chips. Unlike previous works that focus on the Fermi arc surface states of a single Weyl structure, we can experimentally construct arbitrary interfaces between two Weyl structures whose orientations can be freely rotated in the synthetic parameter space. This intriguing system was difficult to realize in usual 3D Weyl semimetals due to lattice mismatch. We found whether the interface can host gapless topological interface states (TISs) or not, is determined by the relative rotational directions of the two Weyl structures. In the experiment, we have probed the local characteristics of the TISs through linear optical transmission and nonlinear second harmonic generation. Our study introduces a novel path to explore topological photonics on LNOI chips and various applications in integrated nonlinear and quantum optics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2021

Quantum teleportation mediated by surface plasmon polariton

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are collective excitations of free electrons propagating along a metal-dielectric interface. Although some basic quantum properties of SPPs, such as the preservation of entanglement, the wave-particle duality of a single plasmon, the quantum interference of two plasmons, and the verification of entanglement generation, have been shown, more advanced quantum information protocols have yet to be demonstrated with SPPs. Here, we experimentally realize quantum state teleportation between single photons and SPPs. To achieve this, we use polarization-entangled photon pairs, coherent photon-plasmon-photon conversion on a metallic subwavelength hole array, complete Bell-state measurements and an active feed-forward technique. The results of both quantum state and quantum process tomography confirm the quantum nature of the SPP mediated teleportation. An average state fidelity of 0.889$\pm$0.004 and a process fidelity of 0.820$\pm$0.005, which are well above the classical limit, are achieved. Our work shows that SPPs may be useful for realizing complex quantum protocols in a photonic-plasmonic hybrid quantum network.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Narrow-band photonic quantum entanglement with counterpropagating domain engineering

Photonic entanglement is a crucial resource for quantum information technologies, including quantum information processing and long-distance communication. These applications call for narrow-band entanglement sources, being compatible with the photon-electron interfaces and relax the dispersion-induced entanglement-degradation in the network mediums. However, such Giga-hertz-level bandwidth is a challenge for the photonic entanglement based on conventional spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Here we introduce a state-of-art domain-engineering technology for the counterpropagating phase matching in the polarization-entanglement generation, which results in an inherent bandwidth of 7.1 GHz at telecom wavelength. This geometry also resolves the fundamental challenge for the deterministic separation of the entangled photon pairs at frequency degeneracy, so that efficient collinear interaction can be achieved in a periodically-poled KTP waveguide and results in a spectral brightness of 3.4*10^3(GHz*mW*s)^-1. The 155 ps base-to-base Hong-Ou-Mandel dip also confirms the source bandwidth, with and a high interference visibility of 97.1%. The entanglement is measured to violate the Bell inequality by up to 18.5 standard deviations, with Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt S-parameter of 2.720. The quantum state tomography further characterizes the entanglement, with fidelity F=95.71%. These unique features establish a cornerstone for the photonic entanglement sources development and warrant broad practical quantum information applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Drone-based all-weather entanglement distribution

The quantum satellite is a cornerstone towards practical free-space quantum network and overcomes the photon loss over large distance. However, challenges still exist including real-time all-location coverage and multi-node construction, which may be complemented by the diversity of modern drones. Here we demonstrate the first drone-based entanglement distribution at all-weather conditions over 200 meters (test field limited), and the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt S-parameter exceeds 2.49, within 35 kg take-off weight. With symmetric transmitter and receiver beam apertures and single-mode-fiber-coupling technology, such progress is ready for future quantum network with multi-node expansion. This network can be further integrated in picture-drone sizes for plug-and-play local-area coverage, or loaded onto high-altitude drones for wide-area coverage, which adds flexibility while connecting to the existing satellites and ground fiber-based quantum network.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Generation of optical frequency comb in a chi-2 sheet micro optical parametric oscillator via cavity phase matching

Chi-3 micro resonators have enabled compact and portable frequency comb generation, but require sophisticated dispersion control. Here we demonstrate an alternative approach using a chi-2 sheet cavity, where the dispersion requirement is relaxed by cavity phase matching. 21.2 THz broadband comb generation is achieved with uniform line spacing of 133.0 GHz, despite a relatively large dispersion of 275.4 fs^2/mm around 1064nm. With 22.6 % high slope efficiency and 14.9 kW peak power handling, this chi-2 comb can be further stabilized for navigation, telecommunication, astronomy, and spectroscopy applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Pseudo-magnetic field and effective spin-orbit interaction for a spin-1/2 particle confined to a curved surface

By considering the spin connection, we deduce the effective equation for a spin-1/2 particle confined to a curved surface with the non-relativistic limit and in the thin-layer quantization formalism. We obtain a pseudo-magnetic field and an effective spin-orbit interaction generated by the spin connection. Geometrically, the pseudo-magnetic field is proportional to the Gaussian curvature and the effective spin-orbit interaction is determined by the Weingarten curvature tensor. Particularly, we find that the pseudo-magnetic field and the effective spin-orbit interaction can be employed to separate the electrons with different spin orientations. All these results are demonstrated in two examples, a straight cylindrical surface and a bent one.

quant-ph↗