A new bipartite entangled state describing the parametric down-conversion process and its applications in quantum optics

We construct a new bipartite entangled state（NBES）,which describes both the squeezing and the entanglement involved in the parametric down-conversion process and can be produced using a symmetric beam splitter.Constructing asymmetric ket-bra integrations based on the NBES leads to some new squeezing operators,which clearly exhibit the relationships between squeezing and entangled state transformations.Moreover,an entangled Wigner operator with a definite physical meaning is also presented.

On-chip frequency combs and telecommunications signal processing meet quantum optics

Entangled optical quantum states are essential towards solving questions in fundamental physics and are at the heart of applications in quantum information science. For advancing the research and development of quantum technologies, practical access to the generation and manipulation of photon states carrying significant quantum resources is required. Recently, integrated photonics has become a leading platform for the compact and cost- efficient generation and processing of optical quantum states. Despite significant advances, most on-chip non- classical light sources are still limited to basic bi-photon systems formed by two-dimensional states （i.e., qubits）. An interesting approach beating large potential is the use of the time or frequency domain to enabled the scalable on- chip generation of complex states. In this manuscript, we review recent efforts in using on-chip optical frequency combs for quantum state generation and telecommunica- tions components for their coherent control. In particular, the generation of bi- and multi-photon entangled qubit states has been demonstrated, based on a discrete time domain approach. Moreover, the on-chip generation of high-dimensional entangled states （quDits） has recentlybeen realized, wherein the photons are created in a coherent superposition of multiple pure frequency modes. The time- and frequency-domain states formed with on-chip frequency comb sources were coherently manipulated via off-the-shelf telecommunications compo- nents. Our results suggest that microcavity-based entangled photon states and their coherent control using accessible telecommunication infrastructures can open up new venues for scalable quantum information science.

Impact of Fiber Dispersion on Performance of Entanglement-Based Dispersive Optics Quantum Key Distribution

Dispersive optics quantum key distribution(DO-QKD)based on energy-time entangled photon pairs is an important QKD scheme.In DO-QKD,the arrival time of photons is used in key generation and security analysis,which would be greatly affected by fiber dispersion.In this work,we establish a theoretical model of the entanglement-based DO-QKD system,considering the protocol,physical processes(such as fiber transmission and single-photon detection),and the analysis of security tests.Based on this theoretical model,we investigate the influence of chromatic dispersion introduced by transmission fibers on the performance of DO-QKD.By analyzing the benefits and costs of dispersion compensation,the system performance under G.652 and G.655 optical fibers are shown,respectively.The results show that dispersion compensation is unnecessary for DO-QKD systems in campus networks and even metro networks.Whereas,it is still required in DO-QKD systems with longer fiber transmission distances.

Balancing four-state continuous-variable quantum key distribution with linear optics cloning machine

We show that the secret key generation rate can be balanced with the maximum secure distance of four-state continuous-variable quantum key distribution（CV-QKD） by using the linear optics cloning machine（LOCM）. Benefiting from the LOCM operation, the LOCM-tuned noise can be employed by the reference partner of reconciliation to achieve higher secret key generation rates over a long distance. Simulation results show that the LOCM operation can flexibly regulate the secret key generation rate and the maximum secure distance and improve the performance of four-state CV-QKD protocol by dynamically tuning parameters in an appropriate range.

Measuring small longitudinal phase shifts via weak measurement amplification

Weak measurement amplification,which is considered as a very promising scheme in precision measurement,has been applied to various small physical quantities estimations.Since many physical quantities can be converted into phase signals,it is interesting and important to consider measuring small longitudinal phase shifts by using weak measurement.Here,we propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel weak measurement amplification-based small longitudinal phase estimation,which is suitable for polarization interferometry.We realize one order of magnitude amplification measurement of a small phase signal directly introduced by a liquid crystal variable retarder and show that it is robust to the imperfection of interference.Besides,we analyze the effect of magnification error which is never considered in the previous works,and find the constraint on the magnification.Our results may find important applications in high-precision measurements,e.g.,gravitational wave detection.

Quantum photonics based on metasurfaces

From metamaterials to metasurfaces,optical nano-structure has been widely investigated for novel and high efficiency functionalities.Apart from the intrisinsic properties of composite material,rich capabilities can be derived from the judi-cious design of metasurfaces,which enable more excellent and highly integrated optical devices than traditional bulk op-tical elements.In the meantime,the abundant manipulation abilites of light in the classical domain can be carried over in-to quantum domain.In this review,we highlight recent development of quantum optics based on metasurfaces,ranging from quantum plasmonics,generation,manipulation and appplication of quantum light to quantum vaccum engineering etc.Finally,some promising avenues for quantum optics with the help of optical metasurface are presented.

A 10.7 μm InGaAs/InAlAs Quantum Cascade Detector

A 10.7μm quantum cascade detector based on lattice matched InGaAs/InAlAs/InP is demonstrated and characterized in terms of responsivity, resistivity and detectivity. The device operates in the 8 14μm atmospheric window up to 140 K and shows a peak reponsivity of 14.4mA/W at 78K. With a resistance-area product value of 159Ωcm^2, the Johnson noise limited detectivity D^＊J is 2.8 × 10^9 Jones （cmHz^1/2W^-1） at 78K.

Fidelity of quantum information for V-type three-level atom interacting with a number state light field in Kerr medium

In this paper the evolution characteristics of the fidelity of quantum information for the V-type three-level atom interacting with number state light field in Kerr meddium are investigated. It shows that the periodicity of the evolutions of fidelity of quantum information is influenced by the Kerr coefficient, the photon number of the initial field and intensity of light. The evolutions of the fidelity of quantum information are modulated by the initial number state field. The Rabi oscillation frequency and the modulation frequency of fidelity for the field and the system vary with the value of the Kerr coefficient. The evolutions of fidelity of quantum information obviously show the quantum collapse and revival behaviours in the system of atom interacting with light field.

Continuous variable quantum key distribution

Quantum key distribution enables unconditionally secure key distribution between two legitimate users.The information-theoretic security is guaranteed by the fundamental laws of quantum physics.Initially,the quantum key distribution protocol was proposed based on the qubits.Later on,it was found that quantum continuous variables can also be exploited for this target.The continuous variable quantum key distribution can build upon standard telecommunication technology and exhibits a higher secret key rate per pulse at a relatively short distance due to the possibility of encoding more than 1 bit per pulse.In this article,we review the current status of the continuous variable quantum key distribution research,including its basic principle,experimental implementations,security and future directions;the experimental progress in this field made by our group is also presented.

Superconducting quantum bits

Superconducting quantum bits （qubits） and circuits are the leading candidate for the implementation of solid-state quantum computation. They have also been widely used in a variety of studies of quantum physics, atomic physics, quantum optics, and quantum simulation. In this article, we will present an overview of the basic principles of the superconducting qubits, including the phase, flux, charge, and transmon （Xmon） qubits, and the progress achieved so far concerning the improvements of the device design and quantum coherence property. Experimental studies in various research fields using the superconducting qubits and circuits will be briefly reviewed.

Quantum feedback cooling of two trapped ions

We present a sub-Doppler cooling scheme of a two-trapped-ion crystal by quantum feedback control method. In the scheme, we obtain the motional information by continuously measuring the spontaneous emission photons from one single ion of the crystal, and then apply a feedback force to cool the whole chain down.We derive the cooling dynamics of the cooling scheme using quantum feedback theory and quantum regression theorem. The result shows that with experimentally achievable parameters, our scheme can achieve lower temperature and faster cooling rate than Doppler cooling.

A concise review of Rydberg atom based quantum computation and quantum simulation

Quantum information processing based on Rydberg atoms emerged as a promising direction two decades ago.Recent experimental and theoretical progresses have shined exciting light on this avenue.In this concise review,we will briefly introduce the basics of Rydberg atoms and their recent applications in associated areas of neutral atom quantum computation and simulation.We shall also include related discussions on quantum optics with Rydberg atomic ensembles,which are increasingly used to explore quantum computation and quantum simulation with photons.

Effects of electron–optical phonon interactions on the polaron energy in a wurtzite ZnO/Mg_xZn_(1-x)O quantum well

We investigated the properties of polarons in a wurtzite ZnO/MgxZn1-xO quantum well by adopting a modified Lee–Low–Pines variational method, giving the ground state energy, transition energy, and phonon contributions from various optical-phonon modes to the ground state energy as functions of the well width and Mg composition. In our calculations, we considered the effects of confined optical phonon modes, interface-optical phonon modes, and half-space phonon modes, as well as the anisotropy of the electron effective band mass, phonon frequency, and dielectric constant. Our numerical results indicate that the electron–optical phonon interactions importantly affect the polaronic energies in the ZnO/MgxZn1-xO quantum well. The electron–optical phonon interactions decrease the polaron energies. For quantum wells with narrower wells, the interface optical phonon and half-space phonon modes contribute more to the polaronic energies than the confined phonon modes. However, for wider quantum wells, the total contribution to the polaronic energy mainly comes from the confined modes. The contributions of the various phonon modes to the transition energy change differently with increasing well width. The contribution of the half-space phonons decreases slowly as the QW width increases, whereas the contributions of the confined and interface phonons reach a maximum at d ≈ 5.0 nm and then decrease slowly. However,the total contribution of phonon modes to the transition energy is negative and increases gradually with the QW width of d.As the composition x increases, the total contribution of phonons to the ground state energies increases slowly, but the total contributions of phonons to the transition energies decrease gradually. We analyze the physical reasons for these behaviors in detail.

Quantum optical ABCD theorem in two-mode case

By introducing the entangled Fresnel operator （EFO） this paper demonstrates that there exists ABCD theorem for two-mode entangled case in quantum optics. The canonical operator method as mapping of ray-transfer ABCD matrix is explicitly shown by EFO＇s normally ordered expansion through the coherent state representation and the technique of integration within an ordered product of operators.

Probabilistic direct counterfactual quantum communication

It is striking that the quantum Zeno effect can be used to launch a direct counterfactual communication between two spatially separated parties, Alice and Bob. So far, existing protocols of this type only provide a deterministic counterfactual communication service. However, this counterfactuality should be payed at a price. Firstly, the transmission time is much longer than a classical transmission costs. Secondly, the chained-cycle structure makes them more sensitive to channel noises. Here, we extend the idea of counterfactual communication, and present a probabilistic-counterfactual quantum communication protocol, which is proved to have advantages over the deterministic ones. Moreover, the presented protocol could evolve to a deterministic one solely by adjusting the parameters of the beam splitters.

Intersubband optical absorption of electrons in double parabolic quantum wells of Al_xGa_(1-x)As/Al_yGa_(1-y)As

Some realizable structures of double parabolic quantum wells（DPQWs） consisting of Al_xGa_（1-x）As/Al_yGa_（1-y）As are constructed to discuss theoretically the optical absorption due to the intersubband transition of electrons for both symmetric and asymmetric cases with three energy levels of conduction bands. The electronic states in these structures are obtained using a finite element difference method. Based on a compact density matrix approach, the optical absorption induced by intersubband transition of electrons at room temperature is discussed. The results reveal that the peak positions and heights of intersubband optical absorption coefficients（IOACs） of DPQWs are sensitive to the barrier thickness, depending on Al component. Furthermore, external electric fields result in the decrease of peak, and play an important role in the blue shifts of absorption spectra due to electrons excited from ground state to the first and second excited states. It is found that the peaks of IOACs are smaller in asymmetric DPQWs than in symmetric ones. The results also indicate that the adjustable extent of incident photon energy for DPQW is larger than for a square one of a similar size. Our results are helpful in experiments and device fabrication.

Optimizing effective phase modulation in coupled double quantum well Mach–Zehnder modulators

We report optimal phase modulation based on enhanced electro–optic effects in a Mach–Zehnder（MZ） modulator constructed by AlGaAs/GaAs coupled double quantum well（CDQW） waveguides with optical gain. The net change of refractive indexes between two arms of the CDQW MZ modulator is derived by both the electronic polarization method and the normal-surface method. The numerical results show that very large refractive index change over 10^（-1） can be obtained, making the phase modulation in the CDQW MZ modulator very highly efficient. It is desirable and important that a very small voltage-length product for π phase shift, V_π× L_0= 0.0226 V · mm, is obtained by optimizing bias electric field and CDQW structural parameters, which is about seven times smaller than that in single quantum-well MZ modulators.These properties open an avenue for CDQW nanostructures in device applications such as electro–optical switches and phase modulators.

Tuning of the Electron Spin Relaxation Anisotropy via Optical Gating in GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Wells

The carrier-density-dependent spin relaxation dynamics for modulation-doped GaAs/Al0.3 Gao,TAs quantum wells is studied using the time-resolved magneto-Kerr rotation measurements. The electron spin relaxation time and its in-plane anisotropy are studied as a function of the optically injected electron density, Moreover, the relative strength of the Rashba and the Dresselhaus spin-rbit coupling fields, and thus the observed spin relaxation time anisotropy, is further tuned by the additional excitation of a 532nm continuous wave laser, demonstrating an effective spin relaxation manipulation via an optical gating method.

Control over hysteresis curves and thresholds of optical bistability in different semiconductor double quantum wells

The effects of optical field on the phenomenon of optical bistability(OB) are investigated in a K-type semiconductor double quantum well(SDQW) under various parametric conditions. It is shown that the OB threshold can be manipulated by increasing the intensity of coupling field. The dependence of the shift of OB hysteresis curve on probe wavelength detuning is then explored. In order to demonstrate controllability of the OB in this SDQW, we compare the OB features of three different configurations which could arise in this SDQW scheme, i.e., K-type, Y-type, and inverted Y-type systems. The controllability of this semiconductor nanostructure medium makes the presented OB scheme more valuable for applications in all-optical switches, information storage, and logic circuits of all optical information processing.

First-Principles Calculation on Geometric,Electronic and Optical Properties of Fully Fluorinated Stanene:a Large-Gap Quantum Spin Hall Insulator

The searches for large-gap quantum spin Hall insulators are important for both practical and fundamental inter- ests. In this work, we present a theoretical observation of the two-dimensional fully fluorinated stanene （SnF） by means of density functional theory. Remarkably, a significant spin-orbit coupling is observed for the SnF monolayer in the valence band at the F point, with a considerable indirect band gap of 278 meV. The direct gap of the SnF monolayer is at the F point, which is slightly larger by as much as 381 meV. In addition, the elastic modulus of the SnF monolayer is about 20J/m^2, which is comparable with the in-plane stiffness of black phos- phorus monolayer along the x-direction （~28.94 J/m^2）. Finally, the optical properties of stanene, SnF monolayer and stanene/SnF bilayer are calculated, in which the stanene/SnF bilayer is supposed to be an attractive sunlight absorber.