148 research outputs found
Complete Characterization of Quantum-Optical Processes
The technologies of quantum information and quantum control are rapidly
improving, but full exploitation of their capabilities requires complete
characterization and assessment of processes that occur within quantum devices.
We present a method for characterizing, with arbitrarily high accuracy, any
quantum optical process. Our protocol recovers complete knowledge of the
process by studying, via homodyne tomography, its effect on a set of coherent
states, i.e. classical fields produced by common laser sources. We demonstrate
the capability of our protocol by evaluating and experimentally verifying the
effect of a test process on squeezed vacuum.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Highly non-Gaussian states created via cross-Kerr nonlinearity
We propose a feasible scheme for generation of strongly non-Gaussian states
using the cross-Kerr nonlinearity. The resultant states are highly
non-classical states of electromagnetic field and exhibit negativity of their
Wigner function, sub-Poissonian photon statistics, and amplitude squeezing.
Furthermore, the Wigner function has a distinctly pronounced ``banana'' or
``crescent'' shape specific for the Kerr-type interactions, which so far was
not demonstrated experimentally. We show that creating and detecting such
states should be possible with the present technology using electromagnetically
induced transparency in a four-level atomic system in N-configuration.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Cosmic History and a Candidate Parent Asteroid for the Quasicrystal-bearing Meteorite Khatyrka
The unique CV-type meteorite Khatyrka is the only natural sample in which
"quasicrystals" and associated crystalline Cu,Al-alloys, including khatyrkite
and cupalite, have been found. They are suspected to have formed in the early
Solar System. To better understand the origin of these exotic phases, and the
relationship of Khatyrka to other CV chondrites, we have measured He and Ne in
six individual, ~40-{\mu}m-sized olivine grains from Khatyrka. We find a
cosmic-ray exposure age of about 2-4 Ma (if the meteoroid was <3 m in diameter,
more if it was larger). The U,Th-He ages of the olivine grains suggest that
Khatyrka experienced a relatively recent (<600 Ma) shock event, which created
pressure and temperature conditions sufficient to form both the quasicrystals
and the high-pressure phases found in the meteorite. We propose that the parent
body of Khatyrka is the large K-type asteroid 89 Julia, based on its peculiar,
but matching reflectance spectrum, evidence for an impact/shock event within
the last few 100 Ma (which formed the Julia family), and its location close to
strong orbital resonances, so that the Khatyrka meteoroid could plausibly have
reached Earth within its rather short cosmic-ray exposure age.Comment: Submitted to Earth and Planetary Science Letter
Realization of the quantum Toffoli gate with trapped ions
Algorithms for quantum information processing are usually decomposed into
sequences of quantum gate operations, most often realized with single- and two-
qubit gates[1]. While such operations constitute a universal set for quantum
computation, gates acting on more than two qubits can simplify the
implementation of complex quantum algorithms[2]. Thus, a single three-qubit
operation can replace a complex sequence of two-qubit gates, which in turn
promises faster execution with potentially higher Fidelity. One important
three-qubit operation is the quantum Toffoli gate which performs a NOT
operation on a target qubit depending on the state of two control qubits. Here
we present the first experimental realization of the quantum Toffoli gate in an
ion trap quantum computer. Our implementation is particular effcient as we
directly encode the relevant logic information in the motion of the ion string.
[1] DiVincenzo, D. P. Two-bit gates are universal for quantum computation.
cond-mat/9407022, Phys.Rev. A 51, 1015-1022 (1995). [2] Chiaverini, J. et al.
Realization of quantum error correction. Nature 432, 602-605 (2004).Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
Spatial Light Modulators for the Manipulation of Individual Atoms
We propose a novel dipole trapping scheme using spatial light modulators
(SLM) for the manipulation of individual atoms. The scheme uses a high
numerical aperture microscope to map the intensity distribution of a SLM onto a
cloud of cold atoms. The regions of high intensity act as optical dipole force
traps. With a SLM fast enough to modify the trapping potential in real time,
this technique is well suited for the controlled addressing and manipulation of
arbitrarily selected atoms.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
All-Optical Broadband Excitation of the Motional State of Trapped Ions
We have developed a novel all-optical broadband scheme for exciting,
amplifying and measuring the secular motion of ions in a radio frequency trap.
Oscillation induced by optical excitation has been coherently amplified to
precisely control and measure the ion's secular motion. Requiring only laser
line-of-sight, we have shown that the ion's oscillation amplitude can be
precisely controlled. Our excitation scheme can generate coherent motion which
is robust against variations in the secular frequency. Therefore, our scheme is
ideal to excite the desired level of oscillatory motion under conditions where
the secular frequency is evolving in time. Measuring the oscillation amplitude
through Doppler velocimetry, we have characterized the experimental parameters
and compared them with a molecular dynamics simulation which provides a
complete description of the system.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
Experimental Quantum Teleportation of a Two-Qubit Composite System
Quantum teleportation, a way to transfer the state of a quantum system from
one location to another, is central to quantum communication and plays an
important role in a number of quantum computation protocols. Previous
experimental demonstrations have been implemented with photonic or ionic
qubits. Very recently long-distance teleportation and open-destination
teleportation have also been realized. Until now, previous experiments have
only been able to teleport single qubits. However, since teleportation of
single qubits is insufficient for a large-scale realization of quantum
communication and computation2-5, teleportation of a composite system
containing two or more qubits has been seen as a long-standing goal in quantum
information science. Here, we present the experimental realization of quantum
teleportation of a two-qubit composite system. In the experiment, we develop
and exploit a six-photon interferometer to teleport an arbitrary polarization
state of two photons. The observed teleportation fidelities for different
initial states are all well beyond the state estimation limit of 0.40 for a
two-qubit system. Not only does our six-photon interferometer provide an
important step towards teleportation of a complex system, it will also enable
future experimental investigations on a number of fundamental quantum
communication and computation protocols such as multi-stage realization of
quantum-relay, fault-tolerant quantum computation, universal quantum
error-correction and one-way quantum computation.Comment: 16pages, 4 figure
Trapped Rydberg Ions: From Spin Chains to Fast Quantum Gates
We study the dynamics of Rydberg ions trapped in a linear Paul trap, and
discuss the properties of ionic Rydberg states in the presence of the static
and time-dependent electric fields constituting the trap. The interactions in a
system of many ions are investigated and coupled equations of the internal
electronic states and the external oscillator modes of a linear ion chain are
derived. We show that strong dipole-dipole interactions among the ions can be
achieved by microwave dressing fields. Using low-angular momentum states with
large quantum defect the internal dynamics can be mapped onto an effective spin
model of a pair of dressed Rydberg states that describes the dynamics of
Rydberg excitations in the ion crystal. We demonstrate that excitation transfer
through the ion chain can be achieved on a nanosecond timescale and discuss the
implementation of a fast two-qubit gate in the ion chain.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure
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