Performance analysis of quantum key distribution using polarized coherent-states in free-space channel

In free space channel,continuous-variable quantum key distribution(CV-QKD)using polarized coherent-states can not only make the signal state more stable and less susceptible to interference based on the polarization non-sensitive of the free-space channel,but also reduce the noise introduced by phase interference.However,arbitrary continuous modulation can not be carried out in the past polarization coding,resulting in that the signal state can not obtain arbitrary continuous value in Poincare space,and the security analysis of CV-QKD using polarized coherent-states in free space is not complete.Here we propose a new modulation method to extend the modulation range of signal states with an optical-fiber-based polarization controller.In particular,in terms of the main influence factors in the free-space channel,we utilize the beam extinction and elliptical model when considering the transmittance and adopt the formulation of secret key rate.In addition,the performance of the proposed scheme under foggy weather is also taken into consideration to reveal the influence of severe weather.Numerical simulation shows that the proposed scheme is seriously affected by attenuation under foggy weather.The protocol fails when visibility is less than 1 km.At the same time,the wavelength can affect the performance of the proposed scheme.Specifically,under foggy weather,the longer the wavelength,the smaller the attenuation coefficient,and the better the transmission performance.Our proposed scheme can expand the modulation range of signal state,and supplement the security research of the scheme in the free-space channel,thus can provide theoretical support for subsequent experiments.

Single exposure passive three-dimensional information reconstruction based on an ordinary imaging system

Existing three-dimensional(3D) imaging technologies have issues such as requiring active illumination, multiple exposures, or coding modulation. We propose a passive single 3D imaging method based on an ordinary imaging system.Using the point spread function of the imaging system to realize the non-coding measurement on the target, the full-focus images and depth information of the 3D target can be extracted from a single two-dimensional(2D) image through the compressed sensing algorithm. Simulation and experiments show that this approach can complete passive 3D imaging based on an ordinary imaging system without any coding operations. This method can achieve millimeter-level vertical resolution under single exposure conditions and has the potential for real-time dynamic 3D imaging. It improves the efficiency of 3D information detection, reduces the complexity of the imaging system, and may be of considerable value to the field of computer vision and other related applications.

Entangling two levitated charged nanospheres through Coulomb interaction

Limited by the thermal environment, the entanglement of a massive object is extremely difficult to generate. Based on a coherent scattering mechanism, we propose a scheme to generate the entanglement of two optically levitated nanospheres through the Coulomb interaction. Two nanospheres are charged and coupled to each other through the Coulomb interaction.In this manner, the entanglement of two nanospheres is induced either under a weak/strong optomechanical coupling regime or under an ultra-strong optomechanical coupling regime. The charges, radius and distance of the two nanospheres are taken into consideration to enhance the Coulomb interaction, thereby achieving a higher degree of entanglement in the absence of ground-state cooling. The corresponding maximum entanglement can be attained as the dynamics of the system approaches the boundary between the steady and the unsteady regimes. This provides a useful resource for both quantum-enhanced sensing and quantum information processing, as well as a new platform for studying many-body physics.

Joint Authentication Public Network Cryptographic Key Distribution Protocol Based on Single Exposure Compressive Ghost Imaging

In the existing ghost-imaging-based cryptographic key distribution(GCKD)protocols,the cryptographic keys need to be encoded by using many modulated patterns,which undoubtedly incurs long measurement time and huge memory consumption.Given this,based on snapshot compressive ghost imaging,a public network cryptographic key distribution protocol is proposed,where the cryptographic keys and joint authentication information are encrypted into several color block diagrams to guarantee security.It transforms the previous single-pixel sequential multiple measurements into multi-pixel single exposure measurements,significantly reducing sampling time and memory storage.Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this protocol and its ability to detect illegal attacks.Therefore,it takes GCKD a big step closer to practical applications.

Search for topological defect of axionlike model with cesium atomic comagnetometer

Many terrestrial experiments have been designed to detect domain walls composed of axions or axionlike particles(ALPs), which are promising candidates of dark matter. When the domain wall crosses over the Earth, the pseudoscalar field of ALPs could couple to the atomic spins. Such exotic spin-dependent couplings can be searched for by monitoring the transient-in-time change of the atomic spin precession frequency in the presence of a magnetic field. We propose here a single-species cesium atomic comagnetometer, which measures the spin precession frequencies of atoms in different ground-state hyperfine levels, to eliminate the common-mode magnetic-field variations and search for the exotic nonmagnetic couplings solely between protons and ALPs. With the single-species atomic comagnetometer, we experimentally rule out the possibility that the decay constant of the linear pseudoscalar couplings of ALPs to protons is fp■ 3.71 ×107 Ge V. The advanced system has the potential to constrain the constant to be fp■ 10.7 × 109 Ge V, promising to improve astrophysical constraint level by at least one order of magnitude. Our system could provide a sensitive detection method for the global network of optical magnetometers to search for exotic physics.

A polaron theory of quantum thermal transistor in nonequilibrium three-level systems

We investigate the quantum thermal transistor effect in nonequilibrium three-level systems by applying the polarontransformed Redfield equation combined with full counting statistics.The steady state heat currents are obtained via this unified approach over a wide region of system–bath coupling,and can be analytically reduced to the Redfield and nonequilibrium noninteracting blip approximation results in the weak and strong coupling limits,respectively.A giant heat amplification phenomenon emerges in the strong system–bath coupling limit,where transitions mediated by the middle thermal bath are found to be crucial to unravel the underlying mechanism.Moreover,the heat amplification is also exhibited with moderate coupling strength,which can be properly explained within the polaron framework.

Saturated absorption spectrum of cesium micrometric-thin cell with suppressed crossover spectral lines

Micrometric-thin cells(MCs)with alkali vapor atoms have been valuable for research and applications of hyperfine Zeeman splitting and atomic magnetometers under strong magnetic fields.We theoretically and experimentally study the saturated absorption spectra using a 100-μm cesium MC,where the pump and probe beams are linearly polarized with mutually perpendicular polarizations,and the magnetic field is along the pump beam.Because of the distinctive thin chamber of the MC,crossover spectral lines in saturated absorption spectra are largely suppressed leading to clear splittings of hyperfine Zeeman transitions in experiments,and the effect of spatial magnetic field gradient is expected to be reduced.A calculation method is proposed to achieve good agreements between theoretical calculations and experimental results.This method successfully explains the suppression of crossover lines in MCs,as well as the effects of magnetic field direction,propagation and polarization directions of the pump/probe beam on saturated absorption spectrum.The saturated absorption spectrum with suppressed crossover lines is used for laser frequency stabilization,which may provide the potential value of MCs for high spatial resolution strong-field magnetometry with high sensitivity.

Generalized uncertainty principle from long-range kernel effects:The case of the Hawking black hole temperature

We prove the existence of an analogy between spatial long-range interactions,which are of the convolution-type introduced in non-relativistic quantum mechanics,and the generalized uncertainty principle predicted from quantum gravity theories.As an illustration,black hole temperature effects are discussed.It is observed that for specific choices of the moment's kernels,cold black holes may emerge in the theory.

Rate compatible reconciliation for continuous-variable quantum key distribution using Raptor-like LDPC codes

In the practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution(CV-QKD)system,the postprocessing process,particularly the error correction part,significantly impacts the system performance.Multi-edge type low-density parity-check(MET-LDPC)codes are suitable for CV-QKD systems because of their Shannon-limit-approaching performance at a low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).However,the process of designing a low-rate MET-LDPC code with good performance is extremely complicated.Thus,we introduce Raptor-like LDPC(RL-LDPC)codes into the CV-QKD system,exhibiting both the rate compatible property of the Raptor code and capacity-approaching performance of MET-LDPC codes.Moreover,this technique can significantly reduce the cost of constructing a new matrix.We design the RL-LDPC matrix with a code rate of 0.02 and easily and effectively adjust this rate from 0.016 to 0.034.Simulation results show that we can achieve more than 98%reconciliation efficiency in a range of code rate variation using only one RL-LDPC code that can support high-speed decoding with an SNR less than-16.45 d B.This code allows the system to maintain a high key extraction rate under various SNRs,paving the way for practical applications of CV-QKD systems with different transmission distances.

Numerical simulation on modulational instability of ion-acoustic waves in plasma

In this paper, the one-dimensional(1D) particle-in-cell(PIC) simulation is used to study the modulation instability of ion acoustic waves in electron–ion plasmas. The ion acoustic wave is described by using a nonlinear Schr¨odinger equation(NLSE) derived from the reductive perturbation method. Form our numerical simulations, we are able to demonstrate that,after the modulation, the amplitude increases steadily over time. Furthermore, by comparing the numerical results with traditional analytical solutions, we acquire the application scope for the reductive perturbation method to obtain the NLSE.We also find this method can also be extended to other fields such as fluid dynamics, nonlinear optics, solid state physics,and the Bose–Einstein condensate to validate the application scope of the results from the traditional perturbation method.

Diode laser using narrow bandwidth interference filter at 852 nm and its application in Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filter

We demonstrate an 852-nm external cavity diode laser（ECDL） system whose wavelength is mainly determined by an interference filter instead of other wavelength selective elements. The Lorentzian linewidth measured by the heterodyne beating between two identical lasers is 28.3 k Hz. Moreover, we test the application of the ECDL in the Faraday atomic filter.Besides saturated absorption spectrum, the transmission spectrum of the Faraday atomic filter at 852 nm is measured by using the ECDL. This interference filter ECDL method can also be extended to other wavelengths and widen the application range of diode laser.

Computational Spectral Imaging Based on Compressive Sensing

Spectral imaging is an important tool for a wide variety of applications. We present a technique for spectral imaging using computational imaging pattern based on compressive sensing （CS）. The spectral and spatial infor- mation is simultaneously obtained using a fiber spectrometer and the spatial light modulation without mechanical scanning. The method allows high-speed, stable, and sub sampling acquisition of spectral data from specimens. The relationship between sampling rate and image quality is discussed and two CS algorithms are compared.

Spin dynamics of magnetic resonance with parametric modulation in a potassium vapor cell

A typical magnetic-resonance scheme employs a static bias magnetic field and an orthogonal driving magnetic field oscillating at the Larmor frequency, at which the atomic polarization precesses around the static magnetic field. Here we demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally the variations of the resonance condition and the spin precession dynamics resulting from the parametric modulation of the bias field. We show that the driving magnetic field with the frequency detuned by different harmonics of the parametric modulation frequency can lead to resonance as well. Also, a series of frequency sidebands centered at the driving frequency and spaced by the parametric modulation frequency can be observed in the precession of the atomic polarization. We further show that the resonant amplitudes of the sidebands can be controlled by varying the ratio between the amplitude and the frequency of the parametric modulation. These effects could be used in different atomic magnetometry applications.

A Stellar Ranging Scheme Based on the Second-order Correlation Measurement

Stellar ranging is the basis for stellar dynamics research and in-depth research on astrophysics. The parallax method is the most widely used and important basic method for stellar ranging. However, it needs to perform highprecision measurement of the parallax angle and the baseline length together. We aim to propose a new stellar ranging scheme based on second-order correlation that does not require a parallax angle measurement. We hope our solution can be as basic as the parallax method. We propose a new stellar ranging scheme by using the offset of second-order correlation curve signals. The optical path difference between the stars and different base stations is determined by the offset of the second-order correlation curve signals. Then the distance of the stars could be determined by the geometric relation. With the distance to stars out to 10 kpc away, our astrometric precision can be better compared to Gaia by simulation. We also design an experiment and successfully demonstrate the feasibility of this scheme. This stellar ranging scheme enables further and more accurate stellar ranging without requiring any prior information or angle measurement.

Optical forces on neutral atoms in the presence of fluctuating laser fields:numerical analysis

Doppler cooling of^(88)Sr atoms is studied in the presence of off-resonant red-detuned fluctuating laser fields.Using a semi-classical approach,we show that the relevant physical quantities in the cooling process,such as optical forces,the damping coefficient,Doppler temperature,and atom number in the trap,are strongly affected by the laser amplitude and phase fluctuations.We find that the Doppler cooling limit is higher than the predicted Doppler theory for non-fluctuating lasers.This implies an additional heating mechanism exists due to the laser fluctuations.Furthermore,our numerical analysis shows that the effect of laser power stability on reducing the number of trapped atoms in a magneto-optical trap is more substantial than the effect of laser linewidth.

Efficiently simulating the work distribution of multiple identical bosons with boson sampling

Boson sampling has been theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated to show quantum computational advantages.However,it still lacks the deep understanding of the practical applications of boson sampling.Here we propose that boson sampling can be used to efficiently simulate the work distribution of multiple identical bosons.We link the work distribution to boson sampling and numerically calculate the transition amplitude matrix between the single-boson eigenstates in a one-dimensional quantum piston system,and then map the matrix to a linear optical network of boson sampling.The work distribution can be efficiently simulated by the output probabilities of boson sampling using the method of the grouped probability estimation.The scheme requires at most a polynomial number of the samples and the optical elements.Our work opens up a new path towards the calculation of complex quantum work distribution using only photons and linear optics.

Theoretical study of superradiant masing with solid-state spins at room temperature

Steady-state superradiance and superradiant lasing attract significant attentions in the field of optical lattice clocks,but have not been achieved yet due to the technical challenges and atom loss problem.In this article,we propose that their counter-part may be observed in the microwave domain with solid-state spins,i.e.,nitrogen-vacancy center spins and pentacene molecular spins,coupled to microwave resonator at room temperature with realistic technical restrictions.To validate our proposal,we investigate systematically the system dynamics and steady-state by solving quantum master equations for the multi-level and multi-process dynamics of trillions of spins.Our calculations show that the superradiant Rabi oscillations occur firstly due to transitions among different Dicke states,and the subsequent continuous-wave superradiant masing can achieve a linewidth well below millihertz.Our work may guide further exploration of transient and steady-state superradiant masing with the mentioned and other solid-state spins systems.The ultra-narrow linewidth may find applications in deep-space communications,radio astronomy and high-precision metrology.

Effects of noisy quantum channels on one-qubit rotation gate

We investigate the effects of noisy quantum channels on the entanglement of cluster states and one way quantum computational gates.We take a basic model,the rotational gate about x axis based on the cluster state,in order to get the most essential effects of the paradigmatic noisy quantum channels.The entanglement of cluster states in the noisy channels and the fidelity between the rotated state without noisy channel and that with noisy channel are calculated.

Performance comparison of ghost imaging versus conventional imaging in photon shot noise cases

The performances of ghost imaging and conventional imaging in photon shot noise cases are investigated. We define an imaging signal-to-noise ratio called SNRtranwhere only the object’s transmission region is used to evaluate the imaging quality and it can be applied to ghost imaging(GI) with any random pattern. Both the values SNRtran GIof GI and SNRtran CIof conventional imaging in photon shot noise cases are deduced from a simple statistical analysis. The analytical results, which are backed up by numerical simulations, demonstrate that the value SNRtran GIis related to the ratio between the object’s transmission area Aoand the number density of photons illuminating the object plane Io, which is similar to the theoretical results based on the first principle of GI with a Gaussian speckle field deduced by B. I. Erkmen and J. H. Shapiro [in Adv. Opt. Photonics 2, 405–450(2010)]. In addition, we also show that the value SNRtran CIwill be larger than SNRtran GIwhen Ao is beyond a threshold value.

Negative exponential behavior of image mutual information for pseudo-thermal light ghost imaging： observation, modeling, and verification

When using the image mutual information to assess the quality of reconstructed image in pseudothermal light ghost imaging, a negative exponential behavior with respect to the measurement number is observed. Based on information theory and a few simple and verifiable assumptions, semi-quantitative model of image mutual information under varying measurement numbers is established. It is the Gaussian characteristics of the bucket detector output probability distribution that leads to this negative exponential behavior. Designed experiments verify the model.