arXiv subjects

T. J. Weinhold

Publications and source records attributed to T. J. Weinhold.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Quantum Hypercube States

We introduce quantum hypercube states, a class of continuous-variable quantum states that are generated as orthographic projections of hypercubes onto the quadrature phase-space of a bosonic mode. In addition to their interesting geometry, hypercube states display phase-space features much smaller than Planck's constant, and a large volume of Wigner-negativity. We theoretically show that these features make hypercube states sensitive to displacements at extremely small scales in a way that is surprisingly robust to initial thermal occupation and to small separation of the superposed state-components. In a high-temperature proof-of-principle optomechanics experiment we observe, and match to theory, the signature outer-edge vertex structure of hypercube states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Optimal imaging of remote bodies using quantum detectors

We implement a general imaging method by measuring the complex degree of coherence using linear optics and photon number resolving detectors. In the absence of collective or entanglement assisted measurements, our method is optimal over a large range of practically relevant values of the complex degree of coherence. We measure the size and position of a small distant source of pseudo-thermal light, and show that our method outperforms the traditional imaging method by an order of magnitude in precision. Finally, we show that a lack of photon number resolution in the detectors has only a modest detrimental effect on measurement precision and simulate imaging using the new and traditional methods with an array of detectors; showing that the new method improves both image clarity and contrast.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Generation of mechanical interference fringes by multi-photon counting

Exploring the quantum behaviour of macroscopic objects provides an intriguing avenue to study the foundations of physics and to develop a suite of quantum-enhanced technologies. One prominent path of study is provided by quantum optomechanics which utilizes the tools of quantum optics to control the motion of macroscopic mechanical resonators. Despite excellent recent progress, the preparation of mechanical quantum superposition states remains outstanding due to weak coupling and thermal decoherence. Here we present a novel optomechanical scheme that significantly relaxes these requirements allowing the preparation of quantum superposition states of motion of a mechanical resonator by exploiting the nonlinearity of multi-photon quantum measurements. Our method is capable of generating non-classical mechanical states without the need for strong single photon coupling, is resilient against optical loss, and offers more favourable scaling against initial mechanical thermal occupation than existing schemes. Moreover, our approach allows the generation of larger superposition states by projecting the optical field onto NOON states. We experimentally demonstrate this multi-photon-counting technique on a mechanical thermal state in the classical limit and observe interference fringes in the mechanical position distribution that show phase superresolution. This opens a feasible route to explore and exploit quantum phenomena at a macroscopic scale.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Optogalvanic Spectroscopy of Metastable States in Yb^{+}

The metastable ^{2}F_{7/2} and ^{2}D_{3/2} states of Yb^{+} are of interest for applications in metrology and quantum information and also act as dark states in laser cooling. These metastable states are commonly repumped to the ground state via the 638.6 nm ^{2}F_{7/2} -- ^{1}D[5/2]_{5/2} and 935.2 nm ^{2}D_{3/2} -- ^{3}D[3/2]_{1/2} transitions. We have performed optogalvanic spectroscopy of these transitions in Yb^{+} ions generated in a discharge. We measure the pressure broadening coefficient for the 638.6 nm transition to be 70 \pm 10 MHz mbar^{-1}. We place an upper bound of 375 MHz/nucleon on the 638.6 nm isotope splitting and show that our observations are consistent with theory for the hyperfine splitting. Our measurements of the 935.2 nm transition extend those made by Sugiyama et al, showing well-resolved isotope and hyperfine splitting. We obtain high signal to noise, sufficient for laser stabilisation applications.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2008

Frequency stabilization of an ultraviolet laser to ions in a discharge

We stabilize an ultraviolet diode laser system at 369.5 nm to the optical absorption signal from Yb+ ions in a hollow-cathode discharge lamp. The error signal for stabilization is obtained by Zeeman spectroscopy of the 3 GHz-wide absorption feature. The frequency stability is independently measured by comparison against the fluorescence signal from a laser-cooled crystal of 174Yb+ ions in a linear Paul trap. We measure a frequency fluctuation of 1.7 MHz RMS over 1000 s, and a frequency drift of 20 MHz over 7 days. Our method is suitable for use in quantum information processing experiments with trapped ion crystals.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

Manipulating biphotonic qutrits

Quantum information carriers with higher dimension than the canonical qubit offer significant advantages. However, manipulating such systems is extremely difficult. We show how measurement induced non-linearities can be employed to dramatically extend the range of possible transforms on biphotonic qutrits; the three level quantum systems formed by the polarisation of two photons in the same spatio-temporal mode. We fully characterise the biphoton-photon entanglement that underpins our technique, thereby realising the first instance of qubit-qutrit entanglement. We discuss an extension of our technique to generate qutrit-qutrit entanglement and to manipulate any bosonic encoding of quantum information.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Experimental demonstration of Shor's algorithm with quantum entanglement

Shor's powerful quantum algorithm for factoring represents a major challenge in quantum computation and its full realization will have a large impact on modern cryptography. Here we implement a compiled version of Shor's algorithm in a photonic system using single photons and employing the non-linearity induced by measurement. For the first time we demonstrate the core processes, coherent control, and resultant entangled states that are required in a full-scale implementation of Shor's algorithm. Demonstration of these processes is a necessary step on the path towards a full implementation of Shor's algorithm and scalable quantum computing. Our results highlight that the performance of a quantum algorithm is not the same as performance of the underlying quantum circuit, and stress the importance of developing techniques for characterising quantum algorithms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Entanglement generation by Fock-state filtration

We demonstrate a Fock-state filter which is capable of preferentially blocking single photons over photon pairs. The large conditional nonlinearities are based on higher-order quantum interference, using linear optics, an ancilla photon, and measurement. We demonstrate that the filter acts coherently by using it to convert unentangled photon pairs to a path-entangled state. We quantify the degree of entanglement by transforming the path information to polarisation information, applying quantum state tomography we measure a tangle of T=(20+/-9)%.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

Demonstration of a simple entangling optical gate and its use in Bell-state analysis

We demonstrate a new architecture for an optical entangling gate that is significantly simpler than previous realisations, using partially-polarising beamsplitters so that only a single optical mode-matching condition is required. We demonstrate operation of a controlled-Z gate in both continuous-wave and pulsed regimes of operation, fully characterising it in each case using quantum process tomography. We also demonstrate a fully-resolving, nondeterministic optical Bell-state analyser based on this controlled-Z gate. This new architecture is ideally suited to guided optics implementations of optical gates.

quant-ph↗