136 research outputs found
Layered Quantum Key Distribution
We introduce a family of QKD protocols for distributing shared random keys
within a network of users. The advantage of these protocols is that any
possible key structure needed within the network, including broadcast keys
shared among subsets of users, can be implemented by using a particular
multi-partite high-dimensional quantum state. This approach is more efficient
in the number of quantum channel uses than conventional quantum key
distribution using bipartite links. Additionally, multi-partite
high-dimensional quantum states are becoming readily available in quantum
photonic labs, making the proposed protocols implementable using current
technology.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. In version 2 we extended section 4 about the
dimension-rate trade-off and corrected minor error
A quantum router for high-dimensional entanglement
In addition to being a workhorse for modern quantum technologies,
entanglement plays a key role in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. The
entanglement of photons in multiple levels, or dimensions, explores the limits
of how large an entangled state can be, while also greatly expanding its
applications in quantum information. Here we show how a high-dimensional
quantum state of two photons entangled in their orbital angular momentum can be
split into two entangled states with a smaller dimensionality structure. Our
work demonstrates that entanglement is a quantum property that can be
subdivided into spatially separated parts. In addition, our technique has vast
potential applications in quantum as well as classical communication systems.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Orbital angular momentum of photons and the entanglement of Laguerre-Gaussian modes
The identification of orbital angular momentum (OAM) as a fundamental
property of a beam of light nearly twenty-five years ago has led to an
extensive body of research around this topic. The possibility that single
photons can carry OAM has made this degree of freedom an ideal candidate for
the investigation of complex quantum phenomena and their applications. Research
in this direction has ranged from experiments on complex forms of quantum
entanglement to the interaction between light and quantum states of matter.
Furthermore, the use of OAM in quantum information has generated a lot of
excitement, as it allows for encoding large amounts of information on a single
photon. Here we explain the intuition that led to the first quantum experiment
with OAM fifteen years ago. We continue by reviewing some key experiments
investigating fundamental questions on photonic OAM and the first steps into
applying these properties in novel quantum protocols. In the end, we identify
several interesting open questions that could form the subject of future
investigations with OAM.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures; close to accepted versio
Efficient separation of the orbital angular momentum eigenstates of light
Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is an attractive degree of freedom
for funda- mentals studies in quantum mechanics. In addition, the discrete
unbounded state-space of OAM has been used to enhance classical and quantum
communications. Unambiguous mea- surement of OAM is a key part of all such
experiments. However, state-of-the-art methods for separating single photons
carrying a large number of different OAM values are limited to a theoretical
separation efficiency of about 77 percent. Here we demonstrate a method which
uses a series of unitary optical transformations to enable the measurement of
lights OAM with an experimental separation efficiency of more than 92 percent.
Further, we demonstrate the separation of modes in the angular position basis,
which is mutually unbiased with respect to the OAM basis. The high degree of
certainty achieved by our method makes it particu- larly attractive for
enhancing the information capacity of multi-level quantum cryptography systems
Programming multi-level quantum gates in disordered computing reservoirs via machine learning and TensorFlow
Novel machine learning computational tools open new perspectives for quantum
information systems. Here we adopt the open-source programming library
TensorFlow to design multi-level quantum gates including a computing reservoir
represented by a random unitary matrix. In optics, the reservoir is a
disordered medium or a multi-modal fiber. We show that trainable operators at
the input and the readout enable one to realize multi-level gates. We study
various qudit gates, including the scaling properties of the algorithms with
the size of the reservoir. Despite an initial low slop learning stage,
TensorFlow turns out to be an extremely versatile resource for designing gates
with complex media, including different models that use spatial light
modulators with quantized modulation levels.Comment: Added a new section and a new figure about implementation of the
gates by a single spatial light modulator. 9 pages and 4 figure
Automated Search for new Quantum Experiments
Quantum mechanics predicts a number of at first sight counterintuitive
phenomena. It is therefore a question whether our intuition is the best way to
find new experiments. Here we report the development of the computer algorithm
Melvin which is able to find new experimental implementations for the creation
and manipulation of complex quantum states. And indeed, the discovered
experiments extensively use unfamiliar and asymmetric techniques which are
challenging to understand intuitively. The results range from the first
implementation of a high-dimensional Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state,
to a vast variety of experiments for asymmetrically entangled quantum states --
a feature that can only exist when both the number of involved parties and
dimensions is larger than 2. Additionally, new types of high-dimensional
transformations are found that perform cyclic operations. Melvin autonomously
learns from solutions for simpler systems, which significantly speeds up the
discovery rate of more complex experiments. The ability to automate the design
of a quantum experiment can be applied to many quantum systems and allows the
physical realization of quantum states previously thought of only on paper.Comment: 5+8 pages, 4+1 figures (main text + supplementary
Cyclic transformation of orbital angular momentum modes
The spatial modes of photons are one realization of a QuDit, a quantum system
that is described in a D-dimensional Hilbert space. In order to perform quantum
information tasks with QuDits, a general class of D-dimensional unitary
transformations is needed. Among these, cyclic transformations are an important
special case required in many high-dimensional quantum communication protocols.
In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a cyclic transformation in the
high-dimensional space of photonic orbital angular momentum (OAM). Using simple
linear optical components, we show a successful four-fold cyclic transformation
of OAM modes. Interestingly, our experimental setup was found by a computer
algorithm. In addition to the four-cyclic transformation, the algorithm also
found extensions to higher-dimensional cycles in a hybrid space of OAM and
polarization. Besides being useful for quantum cryptography with QuDits, cyclic
transformations are key for the experimental production of high-dimensional
maximally entangled Bell-states.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
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