153 research outputs found
Azimuthal distinguishability of entangled photons generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion
We experimentally demonstrate that paired photons generated in different
sections of a down-conversion cone, when some of the interacting waves show
Poynting vector walk-off, carry different spatial correlations, and therefore a
different degree of spatial entanglement. This is shown to be in agreement with
theoretical results. We also discuss how this azimuthal distinguishing
information of the down-conversion cone is relevant for the implementation of
quantum sources aimed at the generation of entanglement in other degrees of
freedom, such as polarization.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Opt. Expres
Shape of the spatial mode function of photons generated in noncollinear spontaneous parametric downconversion
We show experimentally how noncollinear geometries in spontaneous parametric
downconversion induce ellipticity of the shape of the spatial mode function.
The degree of ellipticity depends on the pump beam width, especially for highly
focused beams. We also discuss the ellipticity induced by the spectrum of the
pump beam
100 MHz Amplitude and Polarization Modulated Optical Source for Free-Space Quantum Key Distribution at 850 nm
We report on an integrated photonic transmitter of up to 100 MHz repetition
rate, which emits pulses centered at 850 nm with arbitrary amplitude and
polarization. The source is suitable for free space quantum key distribution
applications. The whole transmitter, with the optical and electronic components
integrated, has reduced size and power consumption. In addition, the
optoelectronic components forming the transmitter can be space-qualified,
making it suitable for satellite and future space missions.Comment: 6 figures, 2 table
Measurement and shaping of biphoton spectral wavefunctions
In this work we present a simple method to reconstruct the complex spectral
wavefunction of a biphoton, and hence gain complete information about the
spectral and temporal properties of a photon pair. The technique, which relies
on quantum interference, is applicable to biphoton states produced with a
monochromatic pump when a shift of the pump frequency produces a shift in the
relative frequencies contributing to the biphoton. We demonstrate an example of
such a situation in type-II parametric down-conversion (SPDC) allowing
arbitrary paraxial spatial pump and detection modes. Moreover, our test cases
demonstrate the possibility to shape the spectral wavefunction. This is
achieved by choosing the spatial mode of the pump and of the detection modes,
and takes advantage of spatiotemporal correlations.Comment: Supplementary information also available. Comments and feedback
appreciated. Compared to the previous version, here we have made the
following changes: -corrected a typo in the text between Eq. (11) and (12)
-corrected a typo in the references -added reference
Changes of the topological charge of vortices
We consider changes of the topological charge of vortices in quantum
mechanics by investigating analytical examples where the creation or
annihilation of vortices occurs. In classical hydrodynamics of non-viscous
fluids the Helmholtz-Kelvin theorem ensures that the velocity field circulation
is conserved. We discuss applicability of the theorem in the hydrodynamical
formulation of quantum mechanics showing that the assumptions of the theorem
may be broken in quantum evolution of the wavefunction leading to a change of
the topological charge.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, version accepted for publication in J. Phys.
Experimental Quantum Coin Tossing
In this letter we present the first implementation of a quantum coin tossing
protocol. This protocol belongs to a class of ``two-party'' cryptographic
problems, where the communication partners distrust each other. As with a
number of such two-party protocols, the best implementation of the quantum coin
tossing requires qutrits. In this way, we have also performed the first
complete quantum communication protocol with qutrits. In our experiment the two
partners succeeded to remotely toss a row of coins using photons entangled in
the orbital angular momentum. We also show the experimental bounds of a
possible cheater and the ways of detecting him
Experimental estimation of the dimension of classical and quantum systems
An overwhelming majority of experiments in classical and quantum physics make
a priori assumptions about the dimension of the system under consideration.
However, would it be possible to assess the dimension of a completely unknown
system only from the results of measurements performed on it, without any extra
assumption? The concept of a dimension witness answers this question, as it
allows one to bound the dimension of an unknown classical or quantum system in
a device-independent manner, that is, only from the statistics of measurements
performed on it. Here, we report on the experimental demonstration of dimension
witnesses in a prepare and measure scenario. We use pairs of photons entangled
in both polarization and orbital angular momentum to generate ensembles of
classical and quantum states of dimensions up to 4. We then use a dimension
witness to certify their dimensionality as well as their quantum nature. Our
results open new avenues for the device-independent estimation of unknown
quantum systems and for applications in quantum information science.Comment: See also similar, independent and jointly submitted work of J. Ahrens
et al., quant-ph/1111.127
Structural instability of vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates
In this paper we study a gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and show
that: (i) A minimum value of the interaction is needed for the existence of
stable persistent currents. (ii) Vorticity is not a fundamental invariant of
the system, as there exists a conservative mechanism which can destroy a vortex
and change its sign. (iii) This mechanism is suppressed by strong interactions.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Dynamics of vortices in weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates
We study the dynamics of vortices in ideal and weakly interacting
Bose-Einstein condensates using a Ritz minimization method to solve the
two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. For different initial vortex
configurations we calculate the trajectories of the vortices. We find
conditions under which a vortex-antivortex pair annihilates and is created
again. For the case of three vortices we show that at certain times two
additional vortices may be created, which move through the condensate and
annihilate each other again. For a noninteracting condensate this process is
periodic, whereas for small interactions the essential features persist, but
the periodicity is lost. The results are compared to exact numerical solutions
of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation confirming our analytical findings.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, one reference updated, typos correcte
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