ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences

About: ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences is a facility organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Quantum & Quantum entanglement. The organization has 872 authors who have published 1965 publications receiving 56273 citations.

Quantum and nonlinear effects in light transmitted through planar atomic arrays

Abstract: Understanding strong cooperative optical responses in dense and cold atomic ensembles is vital for fundamental science and emerging quantum technologies. Methodologies for characterizing light-induced quantum effects in such systems, however, are still lacking. Here we unambiguously identify significant quantum many-body effects, robust to position fluctuations and strong dipole–dipole interactions, in light scattered from planar atomic ensembles by comparing full quantum simulations with a semiclassical model neglecting quantum fluctuations. We find pronounced quantum effects at high atomic densities, light close to saturation intensity, and around subradiant resonances. Such conditions also maximize spin–spin correlations and entanglement between atoms, revealing the microscopic origin of light-induced quantum effects. In several regimes of interest, our approximate model reproduces light transmission remarkably well, permitting analysis of otherwise numerically inaccessible large ensembles, in which we observe many-body analogues of resonance power broadening, vacuum Rabi splitting, and significant suppression in cooperative reflection from atomic arrays.

Mid-infrared Gas Sensing Using Graphene Plasmons Tuned by Reversible Chemical Doping

Abstract: Highly confined plasmon modes in nanostructured graphene can be used to detect tiny quantities of biological and gas molecules. In biosensing, a specific biomarker can be concentrated close to grap...

Frequency conversion of structured light.

Abstract: Coherent frequency conversion of structured light, i.e. the ability to manipulate the carrier frequency of a wave front without distorting its spatial phase and intensity profile, provides the opportunity for numerous novel applications in photonic technology and fundamental science. In particular, frequency conversion of spatial modes carrying orbital angular momentum can be exploited in sub-wavelength resolution nano-optics and coherent imaging at a wavelength different from that used to illuminate an object. Moreover, coherent frequency conversion will be crucial for interfacing information stored in the high-dimensional spatial structure of single and entangled photons with various constituents of quantum networks. In this work, we demonstrate frequency conversion of structured light from the near infrared (803 nm) to the visible (527 nm). The conversion scheme is based on sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a 1540-nm Gaussian beam. We observe frequency-converted fields that exhibit a high degree of similarity with the input field and verify the coherence of the frequency-conversion process via mode projection measurements with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. Our results demonstrate the suitability of exploiting the technique for applications in quantum information processing and coherent imaging.

Data-driven estimation of blood pressure using photoplethysmographic signals

Abstract: Noninvasive measurement of blood pressure by optical methods receives considerable interest, but the complexity of the measurement and the difficulty of adjusting parameters restrict applications. We develop a method for estimating the systolic and diastolic blood pressure using a single-point optical recording of a photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal. The estimation is data-driven, we use automated machine learning algorithms instead of mathematical models. Combining supervised learning with a discrete wavelet transform, the method is insensitive to minor irregularities in the PPG waveform, hence both pulse oximeters and smartphone cameras can record the signal. We evaluate the accuracy of the estimation on 78 samples from 65 subjects (40 male, 25 female, age 29±7) with no history of cardiovascular disease. The estimate for systolic blood pressure has a mean error 4.9±4.9 mm Hg, and 4.3±3.7 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure when using the oximeter-obtained PPG. The same values are 5.1±4.3 mm Hg and 4.6±4.3 mm Hg when using the phone-obtained PPG, comparing with A&D UA-767PBT result as gold standard. The simplicity of the method encourages ambulatory measurement, and given the ease of sharing the measured data, we expect a shift to data-oriented approaches deriving insight from ubiquitous mobile devices that will yield more accurate machine learning models in monitoring blood pressure.

Quantized Vortices and Four-Component Superfluidity of Semiconductor Excitons

Abstract: We study spatially indirect excitons of GaAs quantum wells, confined in a 10 μm electrostatic trap. Below a critical temperature of about 1 K, we detect macroscopic spatial coherence and quantized vortices in the weak photoluminescence emitted from the trap. These quantum signatures are restricted to a narrow range of density, in a dilute regime. They manifest the formation of a four-component superfluid, made by a low population of optically bright excitons coherently coupled to a dominant fraction of optically dark excitons.