113 research outputs found
Preparation of polarization entangled mixed states of two photons
We propose a scheme for preparing arbitrary two photons polarization
entangled mixed states via controlled location decoherence. The scheme uses
only linear optical devices and single-mode optical fibers, and may be feasible
in experiment within current optical technology.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figs. The article has been rewritten. Discussion about
experiment are added. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Minimal Absorption Measurements
We show that it is not possible to discriminate two close transparencies
without a certain number of photons being absorbed. We extend this to the
discrimination of patterns of transparency (images).Comment: 11 pages (latex
Quantum and Classical Noise in Practical Quantum Cryptography Systems based on polarization-entangled photons
Quantum-cryptography key distribution (QCKD) experiments have been recently
reported using polarization-entangled photons. However, in any practical
realization, quantum systems suffer from either unwanted or induced
interactions with the environment and the quantum measurement system, showing
up as quantum and, ultimately, statistical noise. In this paper, we investigate
how ideal polarization entanglement in spontaneous parametric downconversion
(SPDC) suffers quantum noise in its practical implementation as a secure
quantum system, yielding errors in the transmitted bit sequence. Because all
SPDC-based QCKD schemes rely on the measurement of coincidence to assert the
bit transmission between the two parties, we bundle up the overall quantum and
statistical noise in an exhaustive model to calculate the accidental
coincidences. This model predicts the quantum-bit error rate and the sifted key
and allows comparisons between different security criteria of the hitherto
proposed QCKD protocols, resulting in an objective assessment of performances
and advantages of different systems.Comment: Rev Tex Style, 2 columns, 7 figures, (a modified version will appear
on PRA
Interaction-free generation of entanglement
In this paper, we study how to generate entanglement by interaction-free
measurement. Using Kwiat et al.'s interferometer, we construct a two-qubit
quantum gate that changes a particle's trajectory according to the other
particle's trajectory. We propose methods for generating the Bell state from an
electron and a positron and from a pair of photons by this gate. We also show
that using this gate, we can carry out the Bell measurement with the
probability of 3/4 at the maximum and execute a controlled-NOT operation by the
method proposed by Gottesman and Chuang with the probability of 9/16 at the
maximum. We estimate the success probability for generating the Bell state by
our procedure under imperfect interaction.Comment: 18 pages, Latex2e, 11 eps figures, v2: minor corrections and one
reference added, v3: a minor correctio
Quantum non-demolition (QND) modulation of quantum interference
We propose an experiment where quantum interference between two different
paths is modulated by means of a QND measurement on one or both the arm of the
interferometer. The QND measurement is achieved in a Kerr cell. We illustrate a
scheme for the realisation of this experiment and some further developments.Comment: accepted for publicatio
Direct measurement of optical quasidistribution functions: multimode theory and homodyne tests of Bell's inequalities
We develop a multimode theory of direct homodyne measurements of quantum
optical quasidistribution functions. We demonstrate that unbalanced homodyning
with appropriately shaped auxiliary coherent fields allows one to sample
point-by-point different phase space representations of the electromagnetic
field. Our analysis includes practical factors that are likely to affect the
outcome of a realistic experiment, such as non-unit detection efficiency,
imperfect mode matching, and dark counts. We apply the developed theory to
discuss feasibility of observing a loophole-free violation of Bell's
inequalities by measuring joint two-mode quasidistribution functions under
locality conditions by photon counting. We determine the range of parameters of
the experimental setup that enable violation of Bell's inequalities for two
states exhibiting entanglement in the Fock basis: a one-photon Fock state
divided by a 50:50 beam splitter, and a two-mode squeezed vacuum state produced
in the process of non-degenerate parametric down-conversion.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
Coupled cavities for enhancing the cross-phase modulation in electromagnetically induced transparency
We propose an optical double-cavity resonator whose response to a signal is
similar to that of an Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) medium. A
combination of such a device with a four-level EIT medium can serve for
achieving large cross-Kerr modulation of a probe field by a signal field. This
would offer the possibility of building a quantum logic gate based on photonic
qubits. We discuss the technical requirements that are necessary for realizing
a probe-photon phase shift of Pi caused by a single-photon signal. The main
difficulty is the requirement of an ultra-low reflectivity beamsplitter and to
operate a sufficiently dense cool EIT medium in a cavity.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, REVTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev. A (v2 - minor
changes in discussion of experimental conditions
A high-flux source of polarization-entangled photons from a periodically-poled KTP parametric downconverter
We have demonstrated a high-flux source of polarization-entangled photons
using a type-II phase-matched periodically-poled KTP parametric downconverter
in a collinearly propagating configuration. We have observed quantum
interference between the single-beam downconverted photons with a visibility of
99% and a measured coincidence flux of 300/s/mW of pump. The
Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt version of Bell's inequality was violated with a
value of 2.711 +/- 0.017.Comment: 7 pages submitted to Physical Review
Multi-parameter Entanglement in Quantum Interferometry
The role of multi-parameter entanglement in quantum interference from
collinear type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion is explored using a
variety of aperture shapes and sizes, in regimes of both ultrafast and
continuous-wave pumping. We have developed and experimentally verified a theory
of down-conversion which considers a quantum state that can be concurrently
entangled in frequency, wavevector, and polarization. In particular, we
demonstrate deviations from the familiar triangular interference dip, such as
asymmetry and peaking. These findings improve our capacity to control the
quantum state produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion, and should
prove useful to those pursuing the many proposed applications of down-converted
light.Comment: submitted to Physical Review
Irrelevance of photon events distinguishability in a class of Bell experiments
We show that the possibility of distinguishing between single- and two-photon detection events, usually not met in the actual experiments, is not a necessary requirement for proof that the experiments of Alley and Shih [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 2921 (1988)] and Ou and Mandel [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 50 (1988)] are modulo a fair sampling assumption, valid tests of local realism. We also give the critical parameters for the experiments to be unconditional tests of local realism, and show that some other interesting phenomena (involving bosonic-type particle indistinguishability) can be observed during such tests
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