An efficient quantum filter for multiphoton states

We propose a scheme for implementing a multipartite quantum filter that uses entangled photons as a resource. It is shown that the success probability for the 2-photon parity filter can be as high as 1/2, which is the highest that has so far been predicted without the help of universal two-qubit quantum gates. Furthermore, the required number of ancilla photons is the least of all current parity filter proposals. Remarkably, the quantum filter operates with probability 1/2 even in the N-photon case, irregardless of the number of photons in the input state.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, revised version, accepted for publication in J. Mod. Op

Quantum Information Processing with Single Photons

Photons are natural carriers of quantum information due to their ease of distribution and long lifetime. This thesis concerns various related aspects of quantum information processing with single photons. Firstly, we demonstrate N-photon entanglement generation through a generalised N X N symmetric beam splitter known as the Bell multiport. A wide variety of 4-photon entangled states as well as the N-photon W-state can be generated with an unexpected non-monotonic decreasing probability of success with N. We also show how the same setup can be used to generate multiatom entanglement. A further study of multiports also leads us to a multiparticle generalisation of the Hong-Ou-Mandel dip which holds for all Bell multiports of even number of input ports. Next, we demonstrate a generalised linear optics based photon filter that has a constant success probability regardless of the number of photons involved. This filter has the highest reported success probability and is interferometrically robust. Finally, we demonstrate how repeat-until-success quantum computing can be performed with two distant nodes with unit success probability using only linear optics resource. We further show that using non-identical photon sources, robustness can still be achieved, an illustration of the nature and advantages of measurement-based quantum computation. A direct application to the same setup leads naturally to arbitrary multiphoton state generation on demand. Finally, we demonstrate how polarisation entanglement of photons can be detected from the emission of two atoms in a Young's double-slit type experiment without linear optics, resulting in both atoms being also maximally entangled.Comment: PhD Thesis, 131 page

Repeat-Until-Success Quantum Computing

We demonstrate the possibility to perform distributed quantum computing using only single photon sources (atom-cavity-like systems), linear optics and photon detectors. The qubits are encoded in stable ground states of the sources. To implement a universal two-qubit gate, two photons should be generated simultaneously and pass through a linear optics network, where a measurement is performed on them. Gate operations can be repeated until a success is heralded without destroying the qubits at any stage of the operation. In contrast to other schemes, this does not require explicit qubit-qubit interactions, a priori entangled ancillas nor the feeding of photons into photon sources.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, v3: substantially revised, v4: typos correcte

Multi-photon entanglement from distant single photon sources on demand

We describe a scheme that allows for the generation of any desired N-photon state on demand. Under ideal conditions, this requires only N single photon sources, laser pulses and linear optics elements. First, the sources should be initialised with the help of single-qubit rotations and repeat-until-success two-qubit quantum gates [Lim et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 030305 (2005)]. Afterwards, the state of the sources can be mapped onto the state of N newly generated photons whenever needed.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Single-qubit rotations in two-dimensional optical lattices with multiqubit addressing

Published versio

Multiphoton entanglement through a Bell multiport beam splitter

Multiphoton entanglement is an important resource for linear optics quantum computing. Here we show that a wide range of highly entangled multiphoton states, including W-states, can be prepared by interfering single photons inside a Bell multiport beam splitter and using postselection. A successful state preparation is indicated by the collection of one photon per output port. An advantage of the Bell multiport beam splitter is that it redirects the photons without changing their inner degrees of freedom. The described setup can therefore be used to generate polarisation, time-bin and frequency multiphoton entanglement, even when using only a single photon source.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, carefully revised version, references adde

Repeat-Until-Success quantum computing using stationary and flying qubits

We introduce an architecture for robust and scalable quantum computation using both stationary qubits (e.g. single photon sources made out of trapped atoms, molecules, ions, quantum dots, or defect centers in solids) and flying qubits (e.g. photons). Our scheme solves some of the most pressing problems in existing non-hybrid proposals, which include the difficulty of scaling conventional stationary qubit approaches, and the lack of practical means for storing single photons in linear optics setups. We combine elements of two previous proposals for distributed quantum computing, namely the efficient photon-loss tolerant build up of cluster states by Barrett and Kok [Phys. Rev. A 71, 060310(R) (2005)] with the idea of Repeat-Until-Success (RUS) quantum computing by Lim et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 030505 (2005)]. This idea can be used to perform eventually deterministic two-qubit logic gates on spatially separated stationary qubits via photon pair measurements. Under non-ideal conditions, where photon loss is a possibility, the resulting gates can still be used to build graph states for one-way quantum computing. In this paper, we describe the RUS method, present possible experimental realizations, and analyse the generation of graph states.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, minor changes, references and a discussion on the effect of photon dark counts adde

Generalised Hong-Ou-Mandel Experiments with Bosons and Fermions

The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) dip plays an important role in recent linear optics experiments. It is crucial for quantum computing with photons and can be used to characterise the quality of single photon sources and linear optics setups. In this paper, we consider generalised HOM experiments with $N$ bosons or fermions passing simultaneously through a symmetric Bell multiport beam splitter. It is shown that for even numbers of bosons, the HOM dip occurs naturally in the coincidence detection in the output ports. In contrast, fermions always leave the setup separately exhibiting perfect coincidence detection. Our results can be used to verify or employ the quantum statistics of particles experimentally.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, more references adde