Experimental demonstration of the criterion for the prepare-and-measure nonlocality

The prepare-and-measure theory is a new type of quantum paradox that reveals the incompatibility between classical theory and quantum mechanics in terms of the dimensionality of physical systems. Just as the Horodecki criterion can determine whether given quantum states are capable of exhibiting Bell nonclassicality, a similar criterion is needed for the prepare-and-measure theory to determine whether given quantum states can exhibit the prepare-and-measure nonclassicality.Recently, Poderini \emph{et al.} [Phys. Rev. Research 2, 043106 (2020)] presented such a criterion for the prepare-and-measure nonclassicality.In this work, we experimentally validate this criterion -- 52 different sets of quantum states are prepared and tested one by one using this criterion to determine whether they can exhibit the prepare-and-measure nonclassicality, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical expectations. The criterion experimentally verified here has the potential to be widely used in future research on the prepare-and-measure nonclassicality

High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution based on Multicore Fiber using Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) provides an efficient means to exchange information in an unconditionally secure way. Historically, QKD protocols have been based on binary signal formats, such as two polarisation states, and the transmitted information efficiency of the quantum key is intrinsically limited to 1 bit/photon. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, a high-dimensional QKD protocol based on space division multiplexing in multicore fiber using silicon photonic integrated lightwave circuits. We successfully realized three mutually unbiased bases in a four-dimensional Hilbert space, and achieved low and stable quantum bit error rate well below both coherent attack and individual attack limits. Compared to previous demonstrations, the use of a multicore fiber in our protocol provides a much more efficient way to create high-dimensional quantum states, and enables breaking the information efficiency limit of traditional QKD protocols. In addition, the silicon photonic circuits used in our work integrate variable optical attenuators, highly efficient multicore fiber couplers, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, enabling manipulating high-dimensional quantum states in a compact and stable means. Our demonstration pave the way to utilize state-of-the-art multicore fibers for long distance high-dimensional QKD, and boost silicon photonics for high information efficiency quantum communications.Comment: Please see the complementary work arXiv:1610.01682 (2016

Quantum state transfer between photons preloaded with quantum information

Quantum mechanics provides a ``disembodied'' way to transfer an unknown quantum state from one quantum system to another. However, all experiments of quantum state transfer to date are limited to cases where the target quantum system contains no prior quantum information. Here we propose a scheme for transferring a quantum state to a quantum system preloaded with quantum information. By using an optical qubit-ququart entangling gate, we have experimentally demonstrated this new protocol -- transferring a qubit to a photon preloaded with one qubit of quantum information. After the state transfer, the target photon contains two qubits of quantum information, one from the qubit being transferred and the other from the pre-existing qubit. Furthermore, we have also experimentally realized the inverse operation of the aforementioned quantum state transfer, which is called the partial quantum state transfer, namely transferring one qubit of quantum information from a photon preloaded with two qubits of quantum information to another photon. The fidelities of the quantum state transfer range from $0.700$ to $0.917$, all above the classical limit of $2/3$. Our work sheds light on a new direction for quantum state transfer and demonstrates our ability to implement entangling operations beyond two-level quantum systems.Comment: 22pages, 9 figure

Modeling Human Performance on Statistical Word Segmentation Tasks

Harnessing the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is an appealing approach to developing photonic technologies for future applications in optical communications and high-dimensional quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. An outstanding challenge to the widespread uptake of the OAM resource is its efficient generation. In this work we design a new device that can directly emit an OAM-carrying light beam from a low-cost semiconductor laser. By fabricating micro-scale spiral phase plates within the aperture of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), the linearly polarized Gaussian beam emitted by the VCSEL is converted into a beam carrying specific OAM modes and their superposition states, with high efficiency and high beam quality. This new approach to OAM generation may be particularly useful in the field of OAM-based optical and quantum communications, especially for short-reach data interconnects and QKD

Unlocking the Promise of Systemic Sting Agonist for Cancer Immunotherapy

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is the key innate immune pathway involving in cancer immunity. Emerging new molecules and drug delivery systems have made systemic STING agonist immunotherapy possible and demonstrated efficient tumor eradication in preclinical studies. In this perspective, we will discuss the potential mechanisms of STING agonism as a multifaceted anti-cancer therapy and the pharmacological challenges associated with systemic delivery of STING agonists on the level of organs, tissues, cells, and intracellular compartments. We will present and discuss drug delivery strategies to address these challenges. New advances in the field can unlock the promise of systemic STING agonist as effective and safe cancer immunotherapy