Using a gradient echo memory, we experimentally demonstrate cross phase modulation (XPM) between two optical pulses; one stored and one freely propagating through the memory medium. We explain how this idea can be extended to enable substantial nonlinear interaction between two single photons that are both stored in the memory. We present semi-classical and quantum simulations along with a proposed experimental scheme to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving large XPM at single photon level.
We consider the effect of self-phase modulation and cross-phase modulation on the joint spectral amplitude of photon pairs generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing. In particular, the purity of a heralded photon from a pair is considered, in the context of schemes that aim to maximise the purity and minimise correlation in the joint spectral amplitude using birefringent phase-matching and short pump pulses. We find that non-linear phase modulation effects will be detrimental, and will limit the quantum interference visibility that can be achieved at a given generation rate. An approximate expression for the joint spectral amplitude with phase modulation is found by considering the group velocity walk-off between each photon and the pump, but neglecting the group-velocity dispersion at each wavelength. The group-velocity dispersion can also be included with a numerical calculation, and it is shown that it only has a small effect on the purity for the realistic parameters considered.
Quantum techniques can be used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio in optical imaging. Leveraging the latest advances in single photon avalanche diode array cameras and multi-photon detection techniques, here we introduce a super-sensitive phase imager, which uses space-polarization hyper-entanglement to operate over a large field-of-view without the need of scanning operation. We show quantum-enhanced imaging of birefringent and non-birefringent phase samples over large areas, with sensitivity improvements over equivalent classical measurements carried out with equal number of photons. The practical applicability is demonstrated by imaging a biomedical protein microarray sample. Our quantum-enhanced phase imaging technology is inherently scalable to high resolution images, and represents an essential step towards practical quantum imaging.
Quantum states of light can enable sensing configurations with sensitivities beyond the shot-noise limit (SNL). In order to better take advantage of available quantum resources and obtain the maximum possible sensitivity, it is necessary to determine fundamental sensitivity limits for different possible configurations for a given sensing system. Here, due to their wide applicability, we focus on optical resonance sensors, which detect a change in a parameter of interest through a resonance shift. We compare their fundamental sensitivity limits set by the quantum Cramer-Rao bound (QCRB) based on the estimation of changes in transmission or phase of a probing bright two-mode squeezed state (bTMSS) of light. We show that the fundamental sensitivity results from an interplay between the QCRB and the transfer function of the system. As a result, for a resonance sensor with a Lorentzian lineshape a phase-based scheme outperforms a transmission-based one for most of the parameter space; however, this is not the case for lineshapes with steeper slopes, such as higher order Butterworth lineshapes. Furthermore, such an interplay results in conditions under which the phase-based scheme provides a higher sensitivity than the transmission-based one but a smaller degree of quantum enhancement. We also study the effect of losses external to the sensor on the degree of quantum enhancement and show that for certain conditions probing with a classical state can provide a higher sensitivity than probing with a bTMSS. Finally, we discuss detection schemes, namely optimized intensity-difference and optimized homodyne detection, that can achieve the fundamental sensitivity limits even in the presence of external losses.
We report the experimental observations on the simultaneous EIT effects for probe and trigger fields (double EIT) as well as the large cross-phase modulation (XPM) between the two fields in a four-level tripod EIT system of the D1 line of 87Rb atoms. The XPM coefficients (larger than 2*10-5cm2/W) and the accompanying transmissions (higher than 60%) are measured at slightly detuning of the probe field from the exact EIT resonance condition. The presented system can be applied in the recently proposed quantum information processing with weak cross-Kerr nonlinearities.
The ability to communicate quantum information over long distances is of central importance in quantum science and engineering. For example, it enables secure quantum key distribution (QKD) relying on fundamental principles that prohibit the cloning of unknown quantum states. While QKD is being successfully deployed, its range is currently limited by photon losses and cannot be extended using straightforward measure-and-repeat strategies without compromising its unconditional security. Alternatively, quantum repeaters, which utilize intermediate quantum memory nodes and error correction techniques, can extend the range of quantum channels. However, their implementation remains an outstanding challenge, requiring a combination of efficient and high-fidelity quantum memories, gate operations, and measurements. Here we report the experimental realization of memory-enhanced quantum communication. We use a single solid-state spin memory integrated in a nanophotonic diamond resonator to implement asynchronous Bell-state measurements. This enables a four-fold increase in the secret key rate of measurement device independent (MDI)-QKD over the loss-equivalent direct-transmission method while operating megahertz clock rates. Our results represent a significant step towards practical quantum repeaters and large-scale quantum networks.