456 research outputs found
Review of recent experimental progresses in Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information obtained in Parametric Down Conversion Experiments at IENGF
We review some recent experimental progresses concerning Foundations of
Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information obtained in Quantum Optics Laboratory
"Carlo Novero" at IENGF.
More in details, after a short presentation of our polarization entangled
photons source (based on precise superposition of two Type I PDC emission) and
of the results obtained with it, we describe an innovative double slit
experiment where two degenerate photons produced by PDC are sent each to a
specific slit. Beyond representing an interesting example of relation between
visibility of interference and "welcher weg" knowledge, this configuration has
been suggested for testing de Broglie-Bohm theory against Standard Quantum
Mechanics. Our results perfectly fit SQM results, but disagree with dBB
predictions.
Then, we discuss a recent experiment addressed to clarify the issue of which
wave-particle observables are really to be considered when discussing wave
particle duality. This experiments realises the Agarwal et al. theoretical
proposal, overcoming limitations of a former experiment.
Finally, we hint to the realization of a high-intensity
high-spectral-selected PDC source to be used for quantum information studies
A biphotons double slit experiment
In this paper we present a double slit experiment where two undistinguishable
photons produced by type I PDC are sent each to a well defined slit. Data about
the diffraction and interference patterns for coincidences are presented and
discussed. An analysis of these data allows a first test of standard quantum
mechanics against de Broglie-Bohm theory
Generation of different Bell states within the SPDC phase-matching bandwidth
We study the frequency-angular lineshape for a phase-matched nonlinear
process producing entangled states and show that there is a continuous variety
of maximally-entangled states generated for different mismatch values within
the natural bandwidth. Detailed considerations are made for two specific
methods of polarization entanglement preparation, based on type-II spontaneous
parametric down-conversion (SPDC) and on SPDC in two subsequent type-I crystals
producing orthogonally polarized photon pairs. It turns out that different Bell
states are produced at the center of the SPDC line and on its slopes,
corresponding to about half-maximum intensity level. These Bell states can be
filtered out by either frequency selection or angular selection, or both. Our
theoretical calculations are confirmed by a series of experiments, performed
for the two above-mentioned schemes of producing polarization-entangled photon
pairs and with two kinds of measurements: frequency-selective and
angular-selective.Comment: submitted for publicatio
First experimental test of Bell inequalities performed using a non-maximally entangled state
We report on the realisation of a new test of Bell inequalities using the
superposition of type I parametric down conversion produced in two different
non-linear crystals pumped by the same laser, but with different polarisation.
The produced state is non-maximally entangled. We discuss the advantages and
the possible developments of this configuration
Investigation of new methods for numerical stochastic perturbation theory in Ï4 theory
Numerical stochastic perturbation theory is a powerful tool for estimating
high-order perturbative expansions in lattice field theory. The standard
algorithms based on the Langevin equation, however, suffer from several
limitations which in practice restrict the potential of this technique. In this
work we investigate some alternative methods which could in principle improve
on the standard approach. In particular, we present a study of the recently
proposed Instantaneous Stochastic Perturbation Theory, as well as a formulation
of numerical stochastic perturbation theory based on Generalized Hybrid
Molecular Dynamics algorithms. The viability of these methods is investigated
in theory.Comment: 45 pages, 12 figures. Added new section on cost comparison with
Langevin NSPT. Matches published versio
Measuring the photon distribution by ON/OFF photodectors
Reconstruction of photon statistics of optical states provide fundamental
information on the nature of any optical field and find various relevant
applications. Nevertheless, no detector that can reliably discriminate the
number of incident photons is available. On the other hand the alternative of
reconstructing density matrix by quantum tomography leads to various technical
difficulties that are particular severe in the pulsed regime (where mode
matching between signal an local oscillator is very challenging). Even if
on/off detectors, as usual avalanche PhotoDiodes operating in Geiger mode, seem
useless as photocounters, recently it was shown how reconstruction of photon
statistics is possible by considering a variable quantum efficiency. Here we
present experimental reconstructions of photon number distributions of both
continuous-wave and pulsed light beams in a scheme based on on/off avalanche
photodetection assisted by maximum-likelihood estimation. Reconstructions of
the distribution for both semiclassical and quantum states of light (as single
photon, coherent, pseudothermal and multithermal states) are reported for
single-mode as well as for multimode beams. The stability and good accuracy
obtained in the reconstruction of these states clearly demonstrate the
interesting potentialities of this simple technique.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, to appear on Laser Physic
Direct experimental observation of nonclassicality in ensembles of single photon emitters
In this work we experimentally demonstrate for the first time a recently
proposed criterion adressed to detect nonclassical behavior in the fluorescence
emission of ensembles of single-photon emitters. In particular, we apply the
method to study clusters of NV centres in diamond observed via
single-photon-sensitive confocal microscopy. Theoretical considerations on the
behavior of the parameter at any arbitrary order in presence of poissonian
noise are presented and, finally, the opportunity of detecting manifold
coincidences is discussed
Probability representation and quantumness tests for qudits and two-mode light states
Using tomographic-probability representation of spin states, quantum behavior
of qudits is examined. For a general j-qudit state we propose an explicit
formula of quantumness witnetness whose negative average value is incompatible
with classical statistical model. Probability representations of quantum and
classical (2j+1)-level systems are compared within the framework of quantumness
tests. Trough employing Jordan-Schwinger map the method is extended to check
quantumness of two-mode light states.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, PDFLaTeX, Contribution to the 11th International
Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations (ICSSUR'09), June
22-26, 2009, Olomouc, Czech Republi
About entanglement properties of kaons and tests of hidden variables models
In this letter we discuss entanglement properties of neutral kaons systems
and their use for testing local realism. In particular we show that, as
previous proposals, also a scheme recently suggested for performing a test of
hidden variable theories against standard quantum mechanics cannot be
conclusive
Native NIR-emitting single colour centres in CVD diamond
Single-photon sources are a fundamental element for developing quantum
technologies, and sources based on colour centres in diamonds are among the
most promising candidates. The well-known NV centres are characterized by
several limitations, thus few other defects have recently been considered. In
the present work, we characterize in detail native efficient single colour
centres emitting in the near infra-red in both standard IIa single-crystal and
electronic-grade polycrystalline commercial CVD diamond samples. In the former
case, a high-temperature annealing process in vacuum is necessary to induce the
formation/activation of luminescent centres with good emission properties,
while in the latter case the annealing process has marginal beneficial effects
on the number and performances of native centres in commercially available
samples. Although displaying significant variability in several photo physical
properties (emission wavelength, emission rate instabilities, saturation
behaviours), these centres generally display appealing photophysical properties
for applications as single photon sources: short lifetimes, high emission rates
and strongly polarized light. The native centres are tentatively attributed to
impurities incorporated in the diamond crystal during the CVD growth of
high-quality type IIa samples, and offer promising perspectives in
diamond-based photonics.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to "New Journal of Phsyics",
NJP-100003.R
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