arXiv subjects

Wouter Verstraelen

Publications and source records attributed to Wouter Verstraelen.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum Light Detection with Enhanced Photonic Neural Network

Advances in quantum technologies are accelerating the demand for optical quantum state sensors that combine high precision, versatility, and scalability within a unified hardware platform. Quantum reservoir computing offers a powerful route toward this goal by exploiting the nonlinear dynamics of quantum systems to process and interpret quantum information efficiently. Photonic neural networks are particularly well suited for such implementations, owing to their intrinsic sensitivity to photon-encoded quantum information. However, the practical realisation of photonic quantum reservoirs remains constrained by the inherently weak optical nonlinearities of available materials and the technological challenges of fabricating densely coupled quantum networks. To address these limitations, we introduce a hybrid quantum-classical detection protocol that integrates the advantages of quantum reservoirs with the adaptive learning capabilities of analogue neural networks. This synergistic architecture substantially enhances information-extraction accuracy and robustness, enabling low-cost performance improvements of quantum light sensors. Based on the proposed approach, we achieved significant improvements in quantum state classification, tomography, and feature regression, even for reservoirs with a relatively small nonlinearity-to-losses ratio $U/\gamma \approx 0.02$ in a network of only five nodes. By reducing reliance on material nonlinearity and reservoir size, the proposed approach facilitates the practical deployment of high-fidelity photonic quantum sensors on existing integrated platforms, paving the way toward chip-scale quantum processors and photonic sensing technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Spectroscopy on a single nonlinear mode recognizes quantum states

Characterising optical quantum states is essential for the development of quantum technologies. While traditional approaches to perform full quantum state tomography are often experimentally demanding, neuromorphic architectures may provide an effective alternative. In this work, we demonstrate how a quantum nonlinear driven-dissipative mode is sufficient to act as a quantum reservoir. By analyzing the occupations at different frequencies in the emission spectrum, a linear regression suffices in many cases to recognize the relevant parameters of incident squeezed states. Beyond highlighting the general potential of this approach under continuous driving, we illustrate its effectiveness in an explicit nontrivial example where the source is a degenerate optical parametric oscillator (OPO), coupled to a nonlinear polariton microcavity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Phase-Space Framework for Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum Optical Neural Networks

Quantum optical neural networks (QONNs) enable information processing beyond classical limits by exploiting the advantages of classical and quantum optics. However, simulation of large-scale bosonic lattices remains a significant challenge due to the exponential growth of the Hilbert space required to describe a quantum network accurately. Consequently, previous theoretical studies have been limited to small-scale systems, leaving the behaviour of multimode QONNs largely unexplored. This work presents an efficient computational framework based on the phase-space positive-P method for simulating bosonic neuromorphic systems. This approach provides a view to previously inaccessible regimes, allowing the validation of large-scale bosonic networks in various quantum machine learning tasks such as quantum state classification and quantum state feature prediction. Our results show that the performance of a large quantum reservoir does not improve monotonously with the number of bosonic modes, instead following a complex dependence driven by the interplay of nonlinearity, reservoir size, and the average occupation of the input mode. These findings are essential for designing and optimising optical bosonic reservoirs for future quantum neuromorphic computing devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Optical resonators constitute a universal spin simulator

NP-hard computational problems can be efficiently recast as finding the ground state of an effective spin model. However, to date no convenient setup exists that can universally simulate all of them, even for a fixed problem size. Here we present such a setup, the universal homogeneous spin simularor (UHSS) using a series of optical (or polaritonic) resonators arranged in a chain using the geometry based on the one introduced in [Phys. Rev. Applied 21, 024057 (2024), arXiv:2306.0574(3) ]. We demonstrate by example how the simulator solves Hamiltonian Cycle and traveling salesman problems, and show that it generalises to any NP-hard problem of arbitrary size. This approach works because it allows arbitrary long-range interactions in the spin model to be mapped on an optical system with only nearest-neighbor physical interactions.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Analogue Spin Simulators: How to keep the Amplitude Homogeneous

A setup that simulates ground states of spin graphs would allow one to solve computationally hard optimisation problems efficiently. Current optical setups to this goal have difficulties decoupling the amplitude and phase degrees of freedom of each effective spin; risking to yield the mapping invalid, a problem known as amplitude heterogeneity. Here, we propose a setup with coupled active optical cavity modes, where this problem is eliminated through their particular geometric arrangement. Acting as an effective Monte Carlo solver, the ground state can be found exactly. By tuning a parameter, the setup solves XY or Ising problems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum and classical correlations in open quantum-spin lattices via truncated-cumulant trajectories

The study of quantum many-body physics in Liouvillian open quantum systems becomes increasingly important with the recent progress in experimental control on dissipative systems and their technological exploitation . A central question in open quantum systems concerns the fate of quantum correlations, and the possibility of controlling them by engineering the competition between the Hamiltonian dynamics and the coupling to a bath. Such a question is challenging from a theoretical point of view, as numerical methods faithfully accounting for quantum correlations are either relying on exact diagonalization, limiting drastically the sizes that can be treated; or on approximations on the range or strength of quantum correlations, associated to the choice of a specific Ansatz for the density matrix. In this work we propose a new method to treat open quantum-spin lattices, based on stochastic quantum trajectories for the solution of the open-system dynamics. Along each trajectory, the hierarchy of equations of motion for many-point spin-spin correlators is truncated to a given finite order, assuming that multivariate $k$-th order cumulants vanish for $k$ exceeding a cutoff $k_c$. This allows tracking the evolution of quantum spin-spin correlations up to order $k_c$ for all length scales. We validate this approach in the paradigmatic case of the phase transitions of the dissipative 2D XYZ lattice, subject to spontaneous decay. We convincingly assess the existence of steady-state phase transitions from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic, and back to paramagnetic, upon increasing one of the Hamiltonian couplings; as well as their classical Ising nature. Moreover, the approach allows us to show the presence of significant quantum correlations in the vicinity of the dissipative critical point, and to unveil the presence of spin squeezing, a tight lower bound to the quantum Fisher information.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Topological enhancement of exciton-polariton coherence with non-Hermitian morphing

The non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) has been intensely investigated over the past few years and has unveiled new topological phases, which have no counterparts in Hermitian systems. Here we consider the hybridization between the NHSE in an exciton-polariton waveguide and a localized defect mode. By tuning the non-Hermiticity, we find that the resulting ground-state of the system is both spatially extended and energetically separated from other modes in the system. When polariton lasing occurs in the system, we find an enhanced spatial coherence compared to regular waveguides, which is robust in the presence of disorder.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Superpolynomial Quantum Enhancement in Polaritonic Neuromorphic Computing

Recent proof-of-principle experiments have demonstrated the implementation of neuromorphic computing using exciton-polaritons, making use of coherent classical states [D. Ballarini et al., Nano Lett. 20, 3506 (2020)]. At the same time, it is expected that nonlinear exciton-polaritons can reach a quantum regime forming non-classical states. Here we consider theoretically the quantum nature of exciton polaritons and predict a superpolynomial quantum enhancement in image recognition tasks. This is achieved within experimentally accessible parameters.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Gaussian trajectory approach to dissipative phase transitions: the case of quadratically driven photonic lattices

We apply the Gaussian trajectories approach to the study of the critical behavior of two-dimensional dissipative arrays of nonlinear photonic cavities, in presence of two-photon driving and in regimes of sizable loss rates. In spite of the highly mixed character of the density matrix of this system, the numerical approach is able to provide precise estimations of the steady-state expectation values, even for large lattices made of more than 100 sites. By performing a finite-size scaling of the relevant properties of the steady state, we extrapolate the behavior of the system in the thermodynamic limit and we show the emergence of a second-order dissipative phase transition, belonging to the universality class of thermal Ising model. This result indicates the occurrence of a crossover when the loss rate is increased from the weak-loss limit, in which the phase transition belongs to the universality class of the quantum Ising model

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Classical critical dynamics in quadratically driven Kerr resonators

Driven-dissipative kerr lattices with two-photon driving are experimentally relevant systems known to exhibit a symmetry-breaking phase transition, which belongs to the universality class of the thermal Ising model for the parameter regime studied here. In this work, we perform finite-size scaling of this system as it is quenched to the transition and the dynamical critical exponent is found to be compatible with $z\approx2.18$ corresponding with metropolis dynamics in classical simulations. Furthermore, we show that the Liouvillian gap scales with the same exponent, similar to scaling of the Hamiltonian gap at quantum phase transitions in closed systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

The temporal coherence of a photon condensate: A quantum trajectory description

In order to study the temporal coherence of a single-mode dye-cavity photon condensate, a model is developed for the dynamics which treats the condensate mode on a quantum-mechanical level. The effects of driving-dissipation and Kerr interactions on the number fluctuations are studied analytically and numerically, including the finding of a long-$τ$ antibunching effect. Depending on the interaction strength, we quantitatively observe an exponential Schawlow-Townes-like decay or Gaussian Henry-like decay of phase correlations. The adequacy of a heuristic phasor model originating from laser physics in describing number and phase dynamics is validated within the experimentally relevant parameter regime. The ratio of the first and second order coherence times is shown to be inversely proportional to the number fluctuations, with a prefactor that varies smoothly throughout the crossover between canonical and grandcanonical statistics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Gaussian Quantum Trajectories for the Variational Simulation of Open Quantum-Optical Systems

We construct a class of variational methods for the study of open quantum systems based on Gaussian ansatzes for the quantum trajectory formalism. Gaussianity in the conjugate position and momentum quadratures is distinguished from Gaussianity in density and phase. We apply these methods to a driven-dissipative Kerr cavity where we study dephasing and the stationary states throughout the bistability regime. Computational cost proves to be similar to the truncated Wigner (TWA) method, with at most quadratic scaling in system size. Meanwhile, strong correspondence with the numerically exact trajectory description is maintained so that these methods contain more information on the ensemble constitution than TWA and can be more robust.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Unitary work extraction from a Generalized Gibbs Ensemble using Bragg scattering

We investigate work extraction from integrable quantum systems under unitary operations. As a model system, we consider non-interacting fermions in one dimension. Thanks to its integrability, this system does not thermalize after a perturbation, even though it does reach a steady state which can be described by a Generalized Gibbs Ensemble (GGE). Such a GGE has an excess free energy compared to a thermal state and we propose to extract this energy by applying Bragg pulses. We show how all the available work in the GGE can be extracted in the adiabatic limit while some excess energy is left at finite times. The unextracted work reaches the adiabatic limit as a power law with exponent $z=-2$ for small systems and with $z=-1$ in the thermodynamic limit. Two distinct protocols for combining the Bragg operations are compared, and in some systems an extensive difference in efficiency arises. From the unextracted work and the entropy production, a notion of temperature is defined and compared to the Boltzmann-Gibbs temperature of the system.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗