42 research outputs found
Dynamics of a pulsed continuous variable quantum memory
We study the transfer dynamics of non-classical fluctuations of light to the
ground-state collective spin components of an atomic ensemble during a pulsed
quantum memory sequence, and evaluate the relevant physical quantities to be
measured in order to characterize such a quantum memory. We show in particular
that the fluctuations stored into the atoms are emitted in temporal modes which
are always different than those of the readout pulse, but which can
nevertheless be retrieved efficiently using a suitable temporal mode-matching
technique. We give a simple toy model - a cavity with variable transmission -
which accounts for the behavior of the atomic quantum memory.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Virtual Entanglement and Reconciliation Protocols for Quantum Cryptography with Continuous Variables
We discuss quantum key distribution protocols using quantum continuous
variables. We show that such protocols can be made secure against individual
gaussian attacks regardless the transmission of the optical line between Alice
and Bob. This is achieved by reversing the reconciliation procedure subsequent
to the quantum transmission, that is, using Bob's instead of Alice's data to
build the key. Although squeezing or entanglement may be helpful to improve the
resistance to noise, they are not required for the protocols to remain secure
with high losses. Therefore, these protocols can be implemented very simply by
transmitting coherent states and performing homodyne detection. Here, we show
that entanglement nevertheless plays a crucial role in the security analysis of
coherent state protocols. Every cryptographic protocol based on displaced
gaussian states turns out to be equivalent to an entanglement-based protocol,
even though no entanglement is actually present. This equivalence even holds in
the absence of squeezing, for coherent state protocols. This ``virtual''
entanglement is important to assess the security of these protocols as it
provides an upper bound on the mutual information between Alice and Bob if they
had used entanglement. The resulting security criteria are compared to the
separability criterion for bipartite gaussian variables. It appears that the
security thresholds are well within the entanglement region. This supports the
idea that coherent state quantum cryptography may be unconditionally secure.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to QI
Proposal for a loophole-free Bell test using homodyne detection
We propose a feasible optical setup allowing for a loophole-free Bell test
with efficient homodyne detection. A non-gaussian entangled state is generated
from a two-mode squeezed vacuum by subtracting a single photon from each mode,
using beamsplitters and standard low-efficiency single-photon detectors. A Bell
violation exceeding 1% is achievable with 6-dB squeezed light and an homodyne
efficiency around 95%. A detailed feasibility analysis, based upon the recent
generation of single-mode non-gaussian states, confirms that this method opens
a promising avenue towards a complete experimental Bell test.Comment: 4 pages RevTex, 2 figure
Continuous variable quantum cryptography using coherent states
We propose several methods for quantum key distribution (QKD) based upon the
generation and transmission of random distributions of coherent or squeezed
states, and we show that they are are secure against individual eavesdropping
attacks. These protocols require that the transmission of the optical line
between Alice and Bob is larger than 50 %, but they do not rely on
"non-classical" features such as squeezing. Their security is a direct
consequence of the no-cloning theorem, that limits the signal to noise ratio of
possible quantum measurements on the transmission line. Our approach can also
be used for evaluating various QKD protocols using light with gaussian
statistics.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. In v2 minor rewriting for clarity, references
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Conditional preparation of a quantum state in the continuous variable regime: generation of a sub-Poissonian state from twin beams
We report the first experimental demonstration of conditional preparation of
a non classical state of light in the continuous variable regime. Starting from
a non degenerate OPO which generates above threshold quantum intensity
correlated signal and idler "twin beams", we keep the recorded values of the
signal intensity only when the idler falls inside a band of values narrower
than its standard deviation. By this very simple technique, we generate a
sub-Poissonian state 4.4dB below shot noise from twin beams exhibiting 7.5dB of
noise reduction in the intensity difference.Comment: 4 pages, Accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
Single photon generation by pulsed excitation of a single dipole
The fluorescence of a single dipole excited by an intense light pulse can
lead to the generation of another light pulse containing a single photon. The
influence of the duration and energy of the excitation pulse on the number of
photons in the fluorescence pulse is studied. The case of a two-level dipole
with strongly damped coherences is considered. The presence of a metastable
state leading to shelving is also investigated.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Quantum key distribution using gaussian-modulated coherent states
Quantum continuous variables are being explored as an alternative means to
implement quantum key distribution, which is usually based on single photon
counting. The former approach is potentially advantageous because it should
enable higher key distribution rates. Here we propose and experimentally
demonstrate a quantum key distribution protocol based on the transmission of
gaussian-modulated coherent states (consisting of laser pulses containing a few
hundred photons) and shot-noise-limited homodyne detection; squeezed or
entangled beams are not required. Complete secret key extraction is achieved
using a reverse reconciliation technique followed by privacy amplification. The
reverse reconciliation technique is in principle secure for any value of the
line transmission, against gaussian individual attacks based on entanglement
and quantum memories. Our table-top experiment yields a net key transmission
rate of about 1.7 megabits per second for a loss-free line, and 75 kilobits per
second for a line with losses of 3.1 dB. We anticipate that the scheme should
remain effective for lines with higher losses, particularly because the present
limitations are essentially technical, so that significant margin for
improvement is available on both the hardware and software.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Towards deterministic optical quantum computation with coherently driven atomic ensembles
Scalable and efficient quantum computation with photonic qubits requires (i)
deterministic sources of single-photons, (ii) giant nonlinearities capable of
entangling pairs of photons, and (iii) reliable single-photon detectors. In
addition, an optical quantum computer would need a robust reversible photon
storage devise. Here we discuss several related techniques, based on the
coherent manipulation of atomic ensembles in the regime of electromagnetically
induced transparency, that are capable of implementing all of the above
prerequisites for deterministic optical quantum computation with single
photons.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
On the distillation and purification of phase-diffused squeezed states
Recently it was discovered that non-Gaussian decoherence processes, such as
phase-diffusion, can be counteracted by purification and distillation protocols
that are solely built on Gaussian operations. Here, we make use of this
experimentally highly accessible regime, and provide a detailed experimental
and theoretical analysis of several strategies for purification/distillation
protocols on phase-diffused squeezed states. Our results provide valuable
information for the optimization of such protocols with respect to the choice
of the trigger quadrature, the trigger threshold value and the probability of
generating a distilled state
No-cloning theorem and teleportation criteria for quantum continuous variables
We discuss the criteria presently used for evaluating the efficiency of
quantum teleportation schemes for continuous variables. Using an argument based
upon the difference between 1-to-2 quantum cloning (quantum duplication) and
1-to-infinity cloning (classical measurement), we show that a fidelity value
larger than 2/3 is required for successful quantum teleportation of coherent
states. This value has not been reached experimentally so far.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Phys. Rev.