973 research outputs found
An Elementary Quantum Network of Single Atoms in Optical Cavities
Quantum networks are distributed quantum many-body systems with tailored
topology and controlled information exchange. They are the backbone of
distributed quantum computing architectures and quantum communication. Here we
present a prototype of such a quantum network based on single atoms embedded in
optical cavities. We show that atom-cavity systems form universal nodes capable
of sending, receiving, storing and releasing photonic quantum information.
Quantum connectivity between nodes is achieved in the conceptually most
fundamental way: by the coherent exchange of a single photon. We demonstrate
the faithful transfer of an atomic quantum state and the creation of
entanglement between two identical nodes in independent laboratories. The
created nonlocal state is manipulated by local qubit rotation. This efficient
cavity-based approach to quantum networking is particularly promising as it
offers a clear perspective for scalability, thus paving the way towards
large-scale quantum networks and their applications.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Evading quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is potentially advantageous for certain
information-processing tasks, but its probabilistic nature and requirement of
measurement back action often limit the precision of conventional classical
information-processing devices, such as sensors and atomic clocks. Here we show
that by engineering the dynamics of coupled quantum systems, it is possible to
construct a subsystem that evades the measurement back action of quantum
mechanics, at all times of interest, and obeys any classical dynamics, linear
or nonlinear, that we choose. We call such a system a quantum-mechanics-free
subsystem (QMFS). All of the observables of a QMFS are quantum-nondemolition
(QND) observables; moreover, they are dynamical QND observables, thus
demolishing the widely held belief that QND observables are constants of
motion. QMFSs point to a new strategy for designing classical
information-processing devices in regimes where quantum noise is detrimental,
unifying previous approaches that employ QND observables, back-action evasion,
and quantum noise cancellation. Potential applications include
gravitational-wave detection, optomechanical force sensing, atomic
magnetometry, and classical computing. Demonstrations of dynamical QMFSs
include the generation of broad-band squeezed light for use in interferometric
gravitational-wave detection, experiments using entangled atomic spin
ensembles, and implementations of the quantum Toffoli gate.Comment: v2: changed the title, added a figure, and made some minor update
Manipulating mesoscopic multipartite entanglement with atom-light interfaces
Entanglement between two macroscopic atomic ensembles induced by measurement
on an ancillary light system has proven to be a powerful method for engineering
quantum memories and quantum state transfer. Here we investigate the
feasibility of such methods for generation, manipulation and detection of
genuine multipartite entanglement between mesoscopic atomic ensembles. Our
results extend in a non trivial way the EPR entanglement between two
macroscopic gas samples reported experimentally in [B. Julsgaard, A. Kozhekin,
and E. Polzik, Nature {\bf 413}, 400 (2001)]. We find that under realistic
conditions, a second orthogonal light pulse interacting with the atomic
samples, can modify and even reverse the entangling action of the first one
leaving the samples in a separable state.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Universality of spectra for interacting quantum chaotic systems
We analyze a model quantum dynamical system subjected to periodic interaction
with an environment, which can describe quantum measurements. Under the
condition of strong classical chaos and strong decoherence due to large
coupling with the measurement device, the spectra of the evolution operator
exhibit an universal behavior. A generic spectrum consists of a single
eigenvalue equal to unity, which corresponds to the invariant state of the
system, while all other eigenvalues are contained in a disk in the complex
plane. Its radius depends on the number of the Kraus measurement operators, and
determines the speed with which an arbitrary initial state converges to the
unique invariant state. These spectral properties are characteristic of an
ensemble of random quantum maps, which in turn can be described by an ensemble
of real random Ginibre matrices. This will be proven in the limit of large
dimension.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Entanglement of spin waves among four quantum memories
Quantum networks are composed of quantum nodes that interact coherently by
way of quantum channels and open a broad frontier of scientific opportunities.
For example, a quantum network can serve as a `web' for connecting quantum
processors for computation and communication, as well as a `simulator' for
enabling investigations of quantum critical phenomena arising from interactions
among the nodes mediated by the channels. The physical realization of quantum
networks generically requires dynamical systems capable of generating and
storing entangled states among multiple quantum memories, and of efficiently
transferring stored entanglement into quantum channels for distribution across
the network. While such capabilities have been demonstrated for diverse
bipartite systems (i.e., N=2 quantum systems), entangled states with N > 2 have
heretofore not been achieved for quantum interconnects that coherently `clock'
multipartite entanglement stored in quantum memories to quantum channels. Here,
we demonstrate high-fidelity measurement-induced entanglement stored in four
atomic memories; user-controlled, coherent transfer of atomic entanglement to
four photonic quantum channels; and the characterization of the full
quadripartite entanglement by way of quantum uncertainty relations. Our work
thereby provides an important tool for the distribution of multipartite
entanglement across quantum networks.Comment: 4 figure
Towards deterministic optical quantum computation with coherently driven atomic ensembles
Scalable and efficient quantum computation with photonic qubits requires (i)
deterministic sources of single-photons, (ii) giant nonlinearities capable of
entangling pairs of photons, and (iii) reliable single-photon detectors. In
addition, an optical quantum computer would need a robust reversible photon
storage devise. Here we discuss several related techniques, based on the
coherent manipulation of atomic ensembles in the regime of electromagnetically
induced transparency, that are capable of implementing all of the above
prerequisites for deterministic optical quantum computation with single
photons.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
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