Atomic quantum memory: cavity vs single pass schemes

This paper presents a quantum mechanical treatment for both atomic and field fluctuations of an atomic ensemble interacting with propagating fields, either in Electromagnetically Induced Transparency or in a Raman situation. The atomic spin noise spectra and the outgoing field spectra are calculated in both situations. For suitable parameters both EIT and Raman schemes efficiently preserve the quantum state of the incident probe field in the transfer process with the atoms, although a single pass scheme is shown to be intrinsically less efficient than a cavity scheme

Teleportation of an atomic ensemble quantum state

We propose a protocol to achieve high fidelity quantum state teleportation of a macroscopic atomic ensemble using a pair of quantum-correlated atomic ensembles. We show how to prepare this pair of ensembles using quasiperfect quantum state transfer processes between light and atoms. Our protocol relies on optical joint measurements of the atomic ensemble states and magnetic feedback reconstruction

Continuous variable entanglement using cold atoms

We present experimental demonstration of quadrature and polarization entanglement generated via the interaction between a coherent linearly polarized field and cold atoms in a high finesse optical cavity. The non linear atom-field interaction produces two squeezed modes with orthogonal polarizations which are used to generate a pair of non separable beams, the entanglement of which is demonstrated by checking the inseparability criterion for continuous variables recently derived by Duan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2722 (2000)] and calculating the entanglement of formation [Giedke et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 107901 (2003)]

Four wave mixing oscillation in a semiconductor microcavity: Generation of two correlated polariton populations

We demonstrate a novel kind of polariton four wave mixing oscillation. Two pump polaritons scatter towards final states that emit two beams of equal intensity, separated both spatially and in polarization with respect to the pumps. The measurement of the intensity fluctuations of the emitted light demonstrates that the final states are strongly correlated.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures In this strongly revised version several new experimental data are adde

Entanglement storage in atomic ensembles

We propose to entangle macroscopic atomic ensembles in cavity using EPR-correlated beams. We show how the field entanglement can be almost perfectly mapped onto the long-lived atomic spins associated with the ground states of the ensembles, and how it can be retrieved in the fields exiting the cavities after a variable storage time. Such a continuous variable quantum memory is of interest for manipulating entanglement in quantum networks

Light Engineering of the Polariton Landscape in Semiconductor Microcavities

We demonstrate a method to create potential barriers with polarized light beams for polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. The form of the barriers is engineered via the real space shape of a focalised beam on the sample. Their height can be determined by the visibility of the scattering waves generated in a polariton fluid interacting with them. This technique opens up the way to the creation of dynamical potentials and defects of any shape in semiconductor microcavities.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Reversible Quantum Interface for Tunable Single-sideband Modulation

Using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) in a Cesium vapor, we demonstrate experimentally that the quantum state of a light beam can be mapped into the long lived Zeeman coherences of an atomic ground state. Two non-commuting variables carried by light are simultaneously stored and subsequentely read-out, with no noise added. We compare the case where a tunable single sideband is stored independently of the other one to the case where the two symmetrical sidebands are stored using the same EIT transparency window.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure