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Thomas Coudreau

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Coudreau.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2019

Metrological advantage at finite temperature for Gaussian phase estimation

In the context of phase estimation with Gaussian states, we introduce a quantifiable definition of metrological advantage that takes into account thermal noise in the preparation procedure. For a broad set of states, \textit{isotropic non-pure Gaussian states}, we show that squeezing is not only necessary, but sufficient, to achieve metrological advantage. We interpret our results in the framework of resource theory, and discuss possible sources of advantage other than squeezing. Our work is a step towards using phase estimation with pure and mixed state to define and quantify nonclassicality. This work is complementary with studies that defines nonclassicality using quadrature displacement estimation.

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arXiv2018

Demonstration of an effective ultrastrong coupling between two oscillators

When the coupling rate between two quantum systems becomes as large as their characteristic frequencies, it induces dramatic effects on their dynamics and even on the nature of their ground state. The case of a qubit coupled to a harmonic oscillator in this ultrastrong coupling regime has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. Here, we explore the case of two harmonic oscillators in the ultrastrong coupling regime. Specifically, we realize an analog quantum simulation of this coupled system by dual frequency pumping a nonlinear superconducting circuit. The pump amplitudes directly tune the effective coupling rate. We observe spectroscopic signature of a mode hybridization that is characteristic of the ultrastrong coupling. Further we experimentally demon- strate a key property of the ground state of this simulated ultrastrong coupling between modes by observing simultaneous single-mode and two-mode squeezing of the radiated field below vacuum fluctuations.

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arXiv2017

Connecting measurement invasiveness to optimal metrological scenarios

The connection between the Leggett-Garg inequality and optimal scenarios from the point of view of quantum metrology is investigated for perfect and noisy general dichotomic measurements. In this context, we show that the Fisher information can be expressed in terms of quantum temporal correlations. This connection allows us to associate scenarios with relatively high Fisher information to scenarios in which the Leggett-Garg inequality is violated. We thus demonstrate a qualitative and, to some extent, quantitative link between measurement invasiveness and metrological performance. Finally, we illustrate our results by using a specific model for spin systems.

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arXiv2016

Generalized spin squeezing inequalities for particles number with quantum fluctuations

Particle number fluctuations, no matter how small, are present in experimental set-ups. One should rigorously take these fluctuations into account, especially, for entanglement detection. In this context, we generalize the spin squeezing inequalities introduced by Tóth et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 250405 (2007). These new inequalities are fulfilled by all separable states even when the number of particle is not constant, and may present quantum fluctuations. These inequalities are useful for detecting entanglement in many-body systems when the super-selection rule does not apply, or when only a subspace of the total systems Hilbert space is considered. We also define general dichotomic observables for which we obtain a coordinate independent form of the generalized spin squeezing inequalities. We give an example where our generalized coordinate independent spin squeezing inequalities present a clear advantage over the original ones.

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arXiv2016

Modeling Leggett-Garg-inequality violation

The Leggett-Garg inequality is a widely used test of the "quantumness" of a system, and involves correlations between measurements realized at different times. According to its widespread interpretation, a violation of the Legget-Garg inequality disproofs macroscopic realism and non-invasiveness. Nevertheless, recent results point out that macroscopic realism is a model dependent notion and that one should always be able to attribute to invasiveness a violation of a Legget-Garg inequality. This opens some natural questions: how to provide such an attribution in a systematic way? How can apparent macroscopic realism violation be recast into a dimensional independent invasiveness model? The present work answers these questions by introducing an operational model where the effects of invasiveness are controllable through a parameter associated with what is called the {\it measurability} of the physical system. Such a parameter leads to different generalized measurements that can be associated with the dimensionality of a system, to measurement errors or to back action.

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arXiv2015

A general dichotomization procedure to provide qudits entanglement criteria

We present a general strategy to derive entanglement criteria which consists in performing a mapping from qudits to qubits that preserves the separability of the parties and SU(2) rotational invariance. Consequently, it is possible to apply the well known positive partial transpose criterion to reveal the existence of quantum correlations between qudits. We discuss some examples of entangled states that are detected using the proposed strategy. Finally, we demonstrate, using our scheme, how some variance-based entanglement witnesses can be generalized from qubits to higher dimensional spin systems.

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arXiv2015

Toolbox for continuous variable entanglement production and measurement using spontaneous parametric down conversion

We provide a toolbox for continuous variables quantum state engineering and characterization of biphoton states produced by spontaneous parametric down conversion in a transverse pump configuration. We show that the control of the pump beam's incidence spot and angle corresponds to phase space displacements of conjugate collective continuous variables of the biphoton. In particular, we illustrate with numerical simulations on a semiconductor device how this technique can be used to engineer and characterize arbitrary states of the frequency and time degrees of freedom.

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arXiv2013

Bell states generation on a III-V semiconductor chip at room temperature

We demonstrate the generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs at room temperature and telecom wavelength in a AlGaAs semiconductor waveguide. The source is based on spontaneous parametric down conversion with a counterpropagating phase-matching scheme. The quality of the two-photon state is assessed by the reconstruction of the density matrix giving a raw fidelity to a Bell state of 0.83; a theoretical model, taking into account the experimental parameters, provides ways to understand and control the amount of entanglement. Its compatibility with electrical injection, together with the high versatility of the generated two-photon state, make this source an attractive candidate for completely integrated quantum photonics devices.

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arXiv2013

Direct measurement of the biphoton Wigner function through two-photon interference

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiment was a benchmark in quantum optics, evidencing the quantum nature of the photon. In order to go deeper, and obtain the complete information about the quantum state of a system, for instance, composed by photons, the direct measurement or reconstruction of the Wigner function or other quasi--probability distribution in phase space is necessary. In the present paper, we show that a simple modification in the well-known HOM experiment provides the direct measurement of the Wigner function. We apply our results to a widely used quantum optics system, consisting of the biphoton generated in the parametric down conversion process. In this approach, a negative value of the Wigner function is a sufficient condition for non-gaussian entanglement between two photons. In the general case, the Wigner function provides all the required information to infer entanglement using well known necessary and sufficient criteria. We analyze our results using two examples of parametric down conversion processes taken from recent experiments. The present work offers a new vision of the HOM experiment that further develops its possibilities to realize fundamental tests of quantum mechanics involving decoherence and entanglement using simple optical set-ups.

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arXiv2013

Compact Gaussian quantum computation by multi-pixel homodyne detection

We study the possibility of producing and detecting continuous variable cluster states in an optical set-up in an extremely compact fashion. This method is based on a multi-pixel homodyne detection system recently demonstrated experimentally, which includes classical data post-processing. It allows to incorporate the linear optics network, usually employed in standard experiments for the production of cluster states, in the stage of the measurement. After giving an example of cluster state generation by this method, we further study how this procedure can be generalized to perform gaussian quantum computation.

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arXiv2011

Quantum correlations by four-wave mixing in an atomic vapor in a non-amplifying regime: a quantum beam splitter for photons

We study the generation of intensity quantum correlations using four-wave mixing in a rubidium vapor. The absence of cavity in these experiments allows to deal with several spatial modes simultaneously. In the standard, amplifying, configuration, we measure relative intensity squeezing up to 9.2 dB below the standard quantum limit. We also theoretically identify and experimentally demonstrate an original regime where, despite no overall amplification, quantum correlations are generated. In this regime a four-wave mixing set-up can therefore play the role of a photonic beam splitter with non--classical properties, i.e. a device that splits a coherent state input into two quantum correlated beams.

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arXiv2011

Robust preparation and manipulation of protected qubits using time--varying Hamiltonians

We show that it is possible to initialize and manipulate in a deterministic manner protected qubits using time varying Hamiltonians. Taking advantage of the symmetries of the system, we predict the effect of the noise during the initialization and manipulation. These predictions are in good agreement with numerical simulations. Our study shows that the topological protection remains efficient under realistic experimental conditions.

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arXiv2011

Time-resolved detection of relative intensity squeezed nanosecond pulses in a Rb87 vapor

We present theoretical and experimental results on the generation and detection of pulsed, relative-intensity squeezed light in a hot Rb87 vapor. The intensity noise correlations between a pulsed probe beam and its conjugate, generated through nearly-degenerate four-wave mixing in a double-lambda system, are studied numerically and measured experimentally via time-resolved balanced detection. We predict and observe about -1 dB of time-resolved relative intensity squeezing with 50 nanosecond pulses at 1 MHz repetition rate. (-1.34 dB corrected for loss).

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arXiv2008

Electric field noise above surfaces: a model for heating rate scaling law in ion traps

We present a model for the scaling laws of the electric field noise spectral density as a function of the distance, $d$, above a conducting surface. Our analytical approach models the patch potentials by introducing a correlation length, $ζ$, of the electric potential on the surface. The predicted scaling laws are in excellent agreement with two different classes of experiments (cold trapped ions and cantilevers), that span at least four orders of magnitude of $d$. According to this model, heating rate in miniature ion traps could be greatly reduced by proper material engineering.

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arXiv2008

Photoionisation loading of large Sr+ ion clouds with ultrafast pulses

This paper reports on photoionisation loading based on ultrafast pulses of singly-ionised strontium ions in a linear Paul trap. We take advantage of an autoionising resonance of Sr neutral atoms to form Sr+ by two-photon absorption of femtosecond pulses at a wavelength of 431nm. We compare this technique to electron-bombardment ionisation and observe several advantages of photoionisation. It actually allows the loading of a pure Sr+ ion cloud in a low radio-frequency voltage amplitude regime. In these conditions up to 4x10^4 laser-cooled Sr+ ions were trapped.

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arXiv2008

Purification of single-photon entanglement with linear optics

We show that single-photon entangled states of the form |0>|1>+|1>|0> can be purified with a simple linear-optics based protocol, which is eminently feasible with current technology. Besides its conceptual interest, this result is relevant for attractive quantum repeater protocols.

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arXiv2008

Experimental demonstration of frequency-degenerate bright EPR beams with a self-phase-locked optical parametric oscillator

We report the first experimental observation of bright EPR beams produced by a type-II optical parametric oscillator operating above threshold at frequency degeneracy. The degenerate operation is obtained by introducing a birefringent plate inside the cavity resulting in phase locking. After filtering the pump noise, which plays a critical role, continuous-variable EPR correlations between the orthogonally polarized signal and idler beams are demonstrated.

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