Synthesis of linear quantum stochastic systems via quantum feedback networks

Recent theoretical and experimental investigations of coherent feedback control, the feedback control of a quantum system with another quantum system, has raised the important problem of how to synthesize a class of quantum systems, called the class of linear quantum stochastic systems, from basic quantum optical components and devices in a systematic way. The synthesis theory sought in this case can be naturally viewed as a quantum analogue of linear electrical network synthesis theory and as such has potential for applications beyond the realization of coherent feedback controllers. In earlier work, Nurdin, James and Doherty have established that an arbitrary linear quantum stochastic system can be realized as a cascade connection of simpler one degree of freedom quantum harmonic oscillators, together with a direct interaction Hamiltonian which is bilinear in the canonical operators of the oscillators. However, from an experimental perspective and based on current methods and technologies, direct interaction Hamiltonians are challenging to implement for systems with more than just a few degrees of freedom. In order to facilitate more tractable physical realizations of these systems, this paper develops a new synthesis algorithm for linear quantum stochastic systems that relies solely on field-mediated interactions, including in implementation of the direct interaction Hamiltonian. Explicit synthesis examples are provided to illustrate the realization of two degrees of freedom linear quantum stochastic systems using the new algorithm.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

On the infeasibility of entanglement generation in Gaussian quantum systems via classical control

This paper uses a system theoretic approach to show that classical linear time invariant controllers cannot generate steady state entanglement in a bipartite Gaussian quantum system which is initialized in a Gaussian state. The paper also shows that the use of classical linear controllers cannot generate entanglement in a finite time from a bipartite system initialized in a separable Gaussian state. The approach reveals connections between system theoretic concepts and the well known physical principle that local operations and classical communications cannot generate entangled states starting from separable states.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. To appear in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 201

Network Synthesis of Linear Dynamical Quantum Stochastic Systems

The purpose of this paper is to develop a synthesis theory for linear dynamical quantum stochastic systems that are encountered in linear quantum optics and in phenomenological models of linear quantum circuits. In particular, such a theory will enable the systematic realization of coherent/fully quantum linear stochastic controllers for quantum control, amongst other potential applications. We show how general linear dynamical quantum stochastic systems can be constructed by assembling an appropriate interconnection of one degree of freedom open quantum harmonic oscillators and, in the quantum optics setting, discuss how such a network of oscillators can be approximately synthesized or implemented in a systematic way from some linear and non-linear quantum optical elements. An example is also provided to illustrate the theory.Comment: Revised and corrected version, published in SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, 200

Modular Quantum Memories Using Passive Linear Optics and Coherent Feedback

In this paper, we show that quantum memory for qudit states encoded in a single photon pulsed optical field has a conceptually simple modular realization using only passive linear optics and coherent feedback. We exploit the idea that two decaying optical cavities can be coupled in a coherent feedback configuration to create an internal mode of the coupled system which is isolated and decoherence-free for the purpose of qubit storage. The qubit memory can then be switched between writing/read-out mode and storage mode simply by varying the routing of certain freely propagating optical fields in the network. It is then shown that the qubit memories can be interconnected with one another to form a qudit quantum memory. We explain each of the phase of writing, storage, and read-out for this modular quantum memory scheme. The results point a way towards modular architectures for complex compound quantum memories