Preparation of Arbitrary Four-Qubit W State with Atomic Ensembles via Rydberg Blockade

The generation of various entangled states is an essential task in quantum information processing. Recently, a scheme （PRA 79, 022304） has been suggested for generating Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state and cluster state with atomic ensembles based on the Rydberg blockade. Using similar resources as the earlier scheme, here we propose an experimentally feasible scheme of preparing arbitrary four-qubit W class of maximally and non- maximally entangled states with atomic ensembles in a single step. Moreover, we carefully analyze the realistic noises and predict that four-qubit W states can be produced with high fidelity （F - 0.994） via our scheme.

Optical information transfer through random unknown diffusers using electronic encoding and diffractive decoding

Free-space optical information transfer through diffusive media is critical in many applications, such as biomedical devices and optical communication, but remains challenging due to random, unknown perturbations in the optical path. We demonstrate an optical diffractive decoder with electronic encoding to accurately transfer the optical information of interest, corresponding to, e.g., any arbitrary input object or message, through unknown random phase diffusers along the optical path. This hybrid electronic-optical model, trained using supervised learning, comprises a convolutional neural network-based electronic encoder and successive passive diffractive layers that are jointly optimized. After their joint training using deep learning,our hybrid model can transfer optical information through unknown phase diffusers, demonstrating generalization to new random diffusers never seen before. The resulting electronic-encoder and optical-decoder model was experimentally validated using a 3D-printed diffractive network that axially spans <70λ, whereλ = 0.75 mm is the illumination wavelength in the terahertz spectrum, carrying the desired optical information through random unknown diffusers. The presented framework can be physically scaled to operate at different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, without retraining its components, and would offer low-power and compact solutions for optical information transfer in free space through unknown random diffusive media.

A Steganography-Based Optical Image Encryption System Using RGB Channel Integration

An optical image encryption system with adaptive steganography using red, green, and blue （RGB） channel integration is proposed. The optical image encryption system employs a double random phase encoding algorithm to encrypt and decrypt color images. The RGB channel in a color image is first integrated into a large grayscale image. Then the integrated image is encrypted by two random phase masks. The secret data is then embedded into the encrypted image with a specific hiding sequence generated by the zero-LSB （least significant bits） sorting technique which is a content-dependent and low distortion data embedding method. Experimental results show that the proposed, method has a good performance in both hiding capacity and decrypted image quality.

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.

Optically spatial information selection with hybridly polarized beam in atomic vapor

Vector beams with spatially variant polarization have attracted much attention in recent years, with potential applications in both classical optics and quantum optics. In this work, we study a polarization selection of spatial intensity distribution by utilizing a hybridly polarized beam as a coupling beam and a circularly polarized beam as a probe beam in87 Rb atom vapor. We experimentally observe that the spatial intensity distribution of the probe beam after passing through atoms can be modulated by the hybridly polarized beam due to the optical pumping effect. Then, the information loaded in the probe beam can be designedly filtrated by an atomic system with a high extinction ratio. A detailed process of the optical pumping effect in our configurations and the corresponding absorption spectra are presented to interpret our experimental results, which can be used for the spatial optical information locally extracted based on an atomic system, which has potential applications in quantum communication and computation.

Sunlight activated ultra-stable long persistent luminescence glass ceramic for outdoor information display

Natural sunlight activated persistent luminescence(PeL)is ideal candidate for optical information display in outdoors without the requirement of electric supply.Except the brightness and duration,the stability especially water resistance of the PeL materials is of significant importance for practical application,which remains a great obstacle up to date.Herein,we report a new sunlight activated PeL glass ceramic containing hexagonal Sr_(13)Al_(22)Si_(10)O_(66):Eu^(2+)crystals,which exhibits strong blue PeL and can last more than 200 h.The PeL can be charged by the full wavelengths located in AM 1.5G due to the broad distribution of traps in the crystal structure.The PeL is clearly observed by the naked eye even after 24 h upon sunlight irradiation irrespective of the weather,and the photoluminescence intensity only decreased~3.3%after storing in water for 365 d.We demonstrate its potential application for thermal and stress responsive display as well as long-term continuous security indication upon sunlight irradiation,which not only save vast energy and reduce environment pollution,but also are appropriate for outdoor usage.

Luminescent properties and recent progress in applications of lanthanide metal-organic frameworks

Lanthanide metal-organic frameworks(Ln-MOFs), which is composed of organic bridging ligands and Ln3+ions/clusters, is an important component of luminescent MOFs. Compared with transition metal ions,lanthanide ions have a higher coordination number and abundant coordination geometry. Moreover, LnMOFs have special characteristics such as good porosity, topological diversity, high surface area and highly adjustable structure. The energy transfer(ET) process in Ln-MOFs could be easily affected by the interaction between host framework and guest, resulting in the change of luminescence intensity or color. Over the past few decades, the features of Ln-MOFs open the door to a range of incredibly important applications. However, there are few reviews on systemic summary of the various applications of Ln-MOFs. In this paper, we summarized the latest progress of Ln-MOFs applications, including the Ln-MOFs in chemical and biological sensors, optical information devices and catalysis, respectively, and discussed design mechanism. The possible problems in current research are briefly prospected, hoping to provide some helpful guidance for the future development of Ln-MOF materials.

The holographic reconstructing algorithm and its error analysis about phase-shifting phase measurement

Phase-shifting measurement and its error estimation method were studied according to the holographic principle.A function of synchronous superposition of object complex amplitude reconstructed from N-step phase-shifting through one integral period(N-step phase-shifting function for short)was proposed.In N-step phase-shifting measurement,the interferograms are seen as a series of in-line holo-grams and the reference beam is an ideal parallel-plane wave.So the N-step phase-shifting function can be obtained by multiplying the interferogram by the original reference wave.In ideal conditions,the proposed method is a kind of synchro-nous superposition algorithm in which the complex ampli-tude is separated,measured and superposed.When error exists in measurement,the result of the N-step phase-shifting function is the optimal expected value of the least-squares fitting method.In the above method,the N+1-step phase-shifting function can be obtained from the N-step phase-shifting function.It shows that the N-step phase-shifting function can be separated into two parts:the ideal N-step phase-shifting function and its errors.The phase-shifting errors in N-steps phase-shifting phase measurement can be treated the same as the relative errors of amplitude and intensity under the understanding of the N+1-step phase-shifting function.The difficulties of the error estimation in phase-shifting phase measurement were restricted by this error esti-mation method.Meanwhile,the maximum error estimation method of phase-shifting phase measurement and its formula were proposed.

On-chip photonic Fourier transform with surface plasmon polaritons

The Fourier transform(FT),a cornerstone of optical processing,enables rapid evaluation of fundamental mathematical operations,such as derivatives and integrals.Conventionally,a converging lens performs an optical FT in free space when light passes through it.The speed of the transformation is limited by the thickness and the focal length of the lens.By using the wave nature of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs),here we demonstrate that the FT can be implemented in a planar configuration with a minimal propagation distance of around 10 mm,resulting in an increase of speed by four to five orders of magnitude.The photonic FT was tested by synthesizing intricate SPP waves with their Fourier components.The reduced dimensionality in the minuscule device allows the future development of an ultrafast on-chip photonic information processing platform for large-scale optical computing.