Showing papers on "Quantum channel published in 2016"

Hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding

Abstract: With prevalent attacks in communication, sharing a secret between communicating parties is an ongoing challenge. Moreover, it is important to integrate quantum solutions with classical secret sharing schemes with low computational cost for the real world use. This paper proposes a novel hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme, using an m-bonacci orbital angular momentum (OAM) pump, Lagrange interpolation polynomials, and reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. To be exact, we employ entangled states prepared by m-bonacci sequences to detect eavesdropping. Meanwhile, we encode m-bonacci sequences in Lagrange interpolation polynomials to generate the shares of a secret with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. The advantages of the proposed scheme is that it can detect eavesdropping without joint quantum operations, and permits secret sharing for an arbitrary but no less than threshold-value number of classical participants with much lower bandwidth. Also, in comparison with existing quantum secret sharing schemes, it still works when there are dynamic changes, such as the unavailability of some quantum channel, the arrival of new participants and the departure of participants. Finally, we provide security analysis of the new hybrid quantum secret sharing scheme and discuss its useful features for modern applications.

Quantum emission from hexagonal boron nitride monolayers

Abstract: Artificial atomic systems in solids are widely considered the leading physical system for a variety of quantum technologies, including quantum communications, computing and metrology. To date, however, room-temperature quantum emitters have only been observed in wide-bandgap semiconductors such as diamond and silicon carbide, nanocrystal quantum dots, and most recently in carbon nanotubes. Single-photon emission from two-dimensional materials has been reported, but only at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we demonstrate room-temperature, polarized and ultrabright single-photon emission from a colour centre in two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride. Density functional theory calculations indicate that vacancy-related defects are a probable source of the emission. Our results demonstrate the unprecedented potential of van der Waals crystals for large-scale nanophotonics and quantum information processing.

Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Over a 404 km Optical Fiber.

Abstract: A protocol for secure quantum communications has been demonstrated over a record-breaking distance of 404 km.

Hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding

Abstract: With prevalent attacks in communication, sharing a secret between communicating parties is an ongoing challenge. Moreover, it is important to integrate quantum solutions with classical secret sharing schemes with low computational cost for the real world use. This paper proposes a novel hybrid threshold adaptable quantum secret sharing scheme, using an m-bonacci orbital angular momentum (OAM) pump, Lagrange interpolation polynomials, and reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. To be exact, we employ entangled states prepared by m -bonacci sequences to detect eavesdropping. Meanwhile, we encode m -bonacci sequences in Lagrange interpolation polynomials to generate the shares of a secret with reverse Huffman-Fibonacci-tree coding. The advantages of the proposed scheme is that it can detect eavesdropping without joint quantum operations, and permits secret sharing for an arbitrary but no less than threshold-value number of classical participants with much lower bandwidth. Also, in comparison with existing quantum secret sharing schemes, it still works when there are dynamic changes, such as the unavailability of some quantum channel, the arrival of new participants and the departure of participants. Finally, we provide security analysis of the new hybrid quantum secret sharing scheme and discuss its useful features for modern applications.

Converting Coherence to Quantum Correlations

Abstract: Recent results in quantum information theory characterize quantum coherence in the context of resource theories. Here, we study the relation between quantum coherence and quantum discord, a kind of quantum correlation which appears even in nonentangled states. We prove that the creation of quantum discord with multipartite incoherent operations is bounded by the amount of quantum coherence consumed in its subsystems during the process. We show how the interplay between quantum coherence consumption and creation of quantum discord works in the preparation of multipartite quantum correlated states and in the model of deterministic quantum computation with one qubit.

Experimental quantum secure direct communication with single photons.

Abstract: Quantum secure direct communication is an important mode of quantum communication in which secret messages are securely communicated directly over a quantum channel. Quantum secure direct communication is also a basic cryptographic primitive for constructing other quantum communication tasks, such as quantum authentication and quantum dialog. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of quantum secure direct communication based on the DL04 protocol and equipped with single-photon frequency coding that explicitly demonstrated block transmission. In our experiment, we provided 16 different frequency channels, equivalent to a nibble of four-bit binary numbers for direct information transmission. The experiment firmly demonstrated the feasibility of quantum secure direct communication in the presence of noise and loss.

A photon–photon quantum gate based on a single atom in an optical resonator

Abstract: To enable two photons to interact, a single atom in an optical resonator is used to build a universal photon–photon quantum gate; this could lead to applications in long-distance quantum communication and scalable quantum computing that require the processing of optical quantum information. Two beams of light sharing the same space tend not to interact with one another. Yet if purely photonic technologies such as quantum communication and scalable quantum computing are to be developed — which require components such as switches and logic gates — it will be important to find conditions that facilitate controllable interactions between two photons. To that end, various single-photon quantum devices have been demonstrated in recent years, typically involving interactions between photons and atoms in a resonator. Here Stephan Ritter and colleagues employ such a system to make a logic component for quantum operations — a universal controlled phase flip photon–photon quantum gate — that involves interaction between two individual input photons mediated by a single atom. That two photons pass each other undisturbed in free space is ideal for the faithful transmission of information, but prohibits an interaction between the photons. Such an interaction is, however, required for a plethora of applications in optical quantum information processing1. The long-standing challenge here is to realize a deterministic photon–photon gate, that is, a mutually controlled logic operation on the quantum states of the photons. This requires an interaction so strong that each of the two photons can shift the other’s phase by π radians. For polarization qubits, this amounts to the conditional flipping of one photon’s polarization to an orthogonal state. So far, only probabilistic gates2 based on linear optics and photon detectors have been realized3, because “no known or foreseen material has an optical nonlinearity strong enough to implement this conditional phase shift”4. Meanwhile, tremendous progress in the development of quantum-nonlinear systems has opened up new possibilities for single-photon experiments5. Platforms range from Rydberg blockade in atomic ensembles6 to single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics7. Applications such as single-photon switches8 and transistors9,10, two-photon gateways11, nondestructive photon detectors12, photon routers13 and nonlinear phase shifters14,15,16,17,18 have been demonstrated, but none of them with the ideal information carriers: optical qubits in discriminable modes. Here we use the strong light–matter coupling provided by a single atom in a high-finesse optical resonator to realize the Duan–Kimble protocol19 of a universal controlled phase flip (π phase shift) photon–photon quantum gate. We achieve an average gate fidelity of (76.2 ± 3.6) per cent and specifically demonstrate the capability of conditional polarization flipping as well as entanglement generation between independent input photons. This photon–photon quantum gate is a universal quantum logic element, and therefore could perform most existing two-photon operations. The demonstrated feasibility of deterministic protocols for the optical processing of quantum information could lead to new applications in which photons are essential, especially long-distance quantum communication and scalable quantum computing.

Repeated quantum error correction on a continuously encoded qubit by real-time feedback.

Abstract: Reliable quantum information processing in the face of errors is a major fundamental and technological challenge. Quantum error correction protects quantum states by encoding a logical quantum bit (qubit) in multiple physical qubits. To be compatible with universal fault-tolerant computations, it is essential that states remain encoded at all times and that errors are actively corrected. Here we demonstrate such active error correction on a continuously protected logical qubit using a diamond quantum processor. We encode the logical qubit in three long-lived nuclear spins, repeatedly detect phase errors by non-destructive measurements, and apply corrections by real-time feedback. The actively error-corrected qubit is robust against errors and encoded quantum superposition states are preserved beyond the natural dephasing time of the best physical qubit in the encoding. These results establish a powerful platform to investigate error correction under different types of noise and mark an important step towards fault-tolerant quantum information processing.

Measuring out-of-time-order correlators on a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum simulator

Abstract: The idea of the out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) has recently emerged in the study of both condensed matter systems and gravitational systems. It not only plays a key role in investigating the holographic duality between a strongly interacting quantum system and a gravitational system, but also diagnoses the chaotic behavior of many-body quantum systems and characterizes the information scrambling. Based on the OTOCs, three different concepts -- quantum chaos, holographic duality, and information scrambling -- are found to be intimately related to each other. Despite of its theoretical importance, the experimental measurement of the OTOC is quite challenging and so far there is no experimental measurement of the OTOC for local operators. Here we report the measurement of OTOCs of local operators for an Ising spin chain on a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum simulator. We observe that the OTOC behaves differently in the integrable and non-integrable cases. Based on the recent discovered relationship between OTOCs and the growth of entanglement entropy in the many-body system, we extract the entanglement entropy from the measured OTOCs, which clearly shows that the information entropy oscillates in time for integrable models and scrambles for non-intgrable models. With the measured OTOCs, we also obtain the experimental result of the butterfly velocity, which measures the speed of correlation propagation. Our experiment paves a way for experimentally studying quantum chaos, holographic duality, and information scrambling in many-body quantum systems with quantum simulators.

High-Dimensional Intra-City Quantum Cryptography with Structured Photons

Abstract: Quantum key distribution (QKD) promises information-theoretically secure communication, and is already on the verge of commercialization. Thus far, different QKD protocols have been proposed theoretically and implemented experimentally [1, 2]. The next step will be to implement high-dimensional protocols in order to improve noise resistance and increase the data rate [3-7]. Hitherto, no experimental verification of high-dimensional QKD in the single-photon regime has been conducted outside of the laboratory. Here, we report the realization of such a single-photon QKD system in a turbulent free-space link of 0.3 km over the city of Ottawa, taking advantage of both the spin and orbital angular momentum photonic degrees of freedom. This combination of optical angular momenta allows us to create a 4-dimensional state [8]; wherein, using a high-dimensional BB84 protocol [3, 4], a quantum bit error rate of 11\% was attained with a corresponding secret key rate of 0.65 bits per sifted photon. While an error rate of 5\% with a secret key rate of 0.43 bits per sifted photon is achieved for the case of 2-dimensional structured photons. Even through moderate turbulence without active wavefront correction, it is possible to securely transmit information carried by structured photons, opening the way for intra-city high-dimensional quantum communications under realistic conditions.

Photonic Circuits with Time Delays and Quantum Feedback

Abstract: We study the dynamics of photonic quantum circuits consisting of nodes coupled by quantum channels. We are interested in the regime where the time delay in communication between the nodes is significant. This includes the problem of quantum feedback, where a quantum signal is fed back on a system with a time delay. We develop a matrix product state approach to solve the quantum stochastic Schrodinger equation with time delays, which accounts in an efficient way for the entanglement of nodes with the stream of emitted photons in the waveguide, and thus the non-Markovian character of the dynamics. We illustrate this approach with two paradigmatic quantum optical examples: two coherently driven distant atoms coupled to a photonic waveguide with a time delay, and a driven atom coupled to its own output field with a time delay as an instance of a quantum feedback problem.

Quantum teleportation with independent sources and prior entanglement distribution over a network

Abstract: The first field test of quantum teleportation is implemented over a 30 km optical fibre network with independent quantum light sources. To establish a robust quantum teleportation system in the real world, several feedback mechanisms are developed.

Strong Converse Exponents for a Quantum Channel Discrimination Problem and Quantum-Feedback-Assisted Communication

Abstract: This paper studies the difficulty of discriminating between an arbitrary quantum channel and a “replacer" channel that discards its input and replaces it with a fixed state. The results obtained here generalize those known in the theory of quantum hypothesis testing for binary state discrimination. We show that, in this particular setting, the most general adaptive discrimination strategies provide no asymptotic advantage over non-adaptive tensor-power strategies. This conclusion follows by proving a quantum Stein’s lemma for this channel discrimination setting, showing that a constant bound on the Type I error leads to the Type II error decreasing to zero exponentially quickly at a rate determined by the maximum relative entropy registered between the channels. The strong converse part of the lemma states that any attempt to make the Type II error decay to zero at a rate faster than the channel relative entropy implies that the Type I error necessarily converges to one. We then refine this latter result by identifying the optimal strong converse exponent for this task. As a consequence of these results, we can establish a strong converse theorem for the quantum-feedback-assisted capacity of a channel, sharpening a result due to Bowen. Furthermore, our channel discrimination result demonstrates the asymptotic optimality of a non-adaptive tensor-power strategy in the setting of quantum illumination, as was used in prior work on the topic. The sandwiched Renyi relative entropy is a key tool in our analysis. Finally, by combining our results with recent results of Hayashi and Tomamichel, we find a novel operational interpretation of the mutual information of a quantum channel \({\mathcal{N}}\) as the optimal Type II error exponent when discriminating between a large number of independent instances of \({\mathcal{N}}\) and an arbitrary “worst-case” replacer channel chosen from the set of all replacer channels.

Entanglement and Coherence in Quantum State Merging.

Abstract: Understanding the resource consumption in distributed scenarios is one of the main goals of quantum information theory. A prominent example for such a scenario is the task of quantum state merging, where two parties aim to merge their tripartite quantum state parts. In standard quantum state merging, entanglement is considered to be an expensive resource, while local quantum operations can be performed at no additional cost. However, recent developments show that some local operations could be more expensive than others: it is reasonable to distinguish between local incoherent operations and local operations which can create coherence. This idea leads us to the task of incoherent quantum state merging, where one of the parties has free access to local incoherent operations only. In this case the resources of the process are quantified by pairs of entanglement and coherence. Here, we develop tools for studying this process and apply them to several relevant scenarios. While quantum state merging can lead to a gain of entanglement, our results imply that no merging procedure can gain entanglement and coherence at the same time. We also provide a general lower bound on the entanglement-coherence sum and show that the bound is tight for all pure states. Our results also lead to an incoherent version of Schumacher compression: in this case the compression rate is equal to the von Neumann entropy of the diagonal elements of the corresponding quantum state.

Positive Tensor Network Approach for Simulating Open Quantum Many-Body Systems.

Abstract: Open quantum many-body systems play an important role in quantum optics and condensed matter physics, and capture phenomena like transport, the interplay between Hamiltonian and incoherent dynamics, and topological order generated by dissipation. We introduce a versatile and practical method to numerically simulate one-dimensional open quantum many-body dynamics using tensor networks. It is based on representing mixed quantum states in a locally purified form, which guarantees that positivity is preserved at all times. Moreover, the approximation error is controlled with respect to the trace norm. Hence, this scheme overcomes various obstacles of the known numerical open-system evolution schemes. To exemplify the functioning of the approach, we study both stationary states and transient dissipative behavior, for various open quantum systems ranging from few to many bodies.

Unified view of quantum correlations and quantum coherence

Abstract: In this paper, we argue that quantum coherence in a bipartite system can be contained either locally or in the correlations between the subsystems. The portion of quantum coherence contained within correlations can be viewed as a kind of quantum correlation which we call correlated coherence. We demonstrate that the framework provided by correlated coherence allows us to retrieve the same concepts of quantum correlations as defined by the asymmetric and symmetric versions of quantum discord as well as quantum entanglement, providing a unified view of these correlations. We also prove that correlated coherence can be formulated as an entanglement monotone, thus demonstrating that entanglement may be viewed as a specialized form of coherence.

Capacities of repeater-assisted quantum communications

Abstract: We consider quantum and private communications assisted by repeaters, from the basic scenario of a single repeater chain to the general case of an arbitrarily-complex quantum network, where systems may be routed through single or multiple paths In this context, we investigate the ultimate rates at which two end-parties may transmit quantum information, distribute entanglement, or generate secret keys These end-to-end capacities are defined by optimizing over the most general adaptive protocols that are allowed by quantum mechanics Combining techniques from quantum information and classical network theory, we derive single-letter upper bounds for the end-to-end capacities in repeater chains and quantum networks connected by arbitrary quantum channels, establishing exact formulas under basic decoherence models, including bosonic lossy channels, quantum-limited amplifiers, dephasing and erasure channels For the converse part, we adopt a teleportation-inspired simulation of a quantum network which leads to upper bounds in terms of the relative entropy of entanglement For the lower bounds we combine point-to-point quantum protocols with classical network algorithms Depending on the type of routing (single or multiple), optimal strategies corresponds to finding the widest path or the maximum flow in the quantum network Our theory can also be extended to simultaneous quantum communication between multiple senders and receivers

Highly indistinguishable on-demand resonance fluorescence photons from a deterministic quantum dot micropillar device with 74% extraction efficiency.

Abstract: The implementation and engineering of bright and coherent solid state quantum light sources is key for the realization of both on chip and remote quantum networks. Despite tremendous efforts for more than 15 years, the combination of these two key prerequisites in a single, potentially scalable device is a major challenge. Here, we report on the observation of bright single photon emission generated via pulsed, resonance fluorescence conditions from a single quantum dot (QD) deterministically centered in a micropillar cavity device via cryogenic optical lithography. The brightness of the QD fluorescence is greatly enhanced on resonance with the fundamental mode of the pillar, leading to an overall device efficiency of η = (74 ± 4) % for a single photon emission as pure as g(2)(0) = 0.0092 ± 0.0004. The combination of large Purcell enhancement and resonant pumping conditions allows us to observe a two-photon wave packet overlap up to ν = (88 ± 3) %.

Bidirectional controlled teleportation by using nine-qubit entangled state in noisy environments

Abstract: A theoretical scheme is proposed to implement bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation (BQCT) by using a nine-qubit entangled state as a quantum channel, where Alice may transmit an arbitrary two-qubit state called qubits $$A_1$$A1 and $$A_2$$A2 to Bob; and at the same time, Bob may also transmit an arbitrary two-qubit state called qubits $$B_1$$B1 and $$B_2$$B2 to Alice via the control of the supervisor Charlie. Based on our channel, we explicitly show how the bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation protocol works. And we show this bidirectional quantum controlled teleportation scheme may be determinate and secure. Taking the amplitude-damping noise and the phase-damping noise as typical noisy channels, we analytically derive the fidelities of the BQCT process and show that the fidelities in these two cases only depend on the amplitude parameter of the initial state and the decoherence noisy rate.

Silicon photonic transmitter for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution

Abstract: Silicon (Si) photonics is forming a fabless ecosystem, which is enabling low-cost and densely integrated components for optical communications and quantum information We present a Si optical transmitter for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution (QKD) The chip was fabricated in a standard Si photonic foundry process and integrated together a pulse generator, intensity modulator, variable optical attenuator, and polarization modulator in a 13 mm×3 mm13 mm×3 mm die area The devices in the photonic circuit meet the requirements for QKD The transmitter was used in a proof-of-concept demonstration of the BB84 QKD protocol over a 5 km long fiber link This work shows the potential of using foundry Si photonics for low-cost, wafer-scale fabricated components for quantum information

Experimental demonstration of Gaussian protocols for one-sided device-independent quantum key distribution

Abstract: Nonlocal correlations, a longstanding foundational topic in quantum information, have recently found application as a resource for cryptographic tasks where not all devices are trusted, for example, in settings with a highly secure central hub, such as a bank or government department, and less secure satellite stations, which are inherently more vulnerable to hardware “hacking” attacks. The asymmetric phenomena of Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) steering plays a key role in one-sided device-independent (1sDI) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols. In the context of continuous-variable (CV) QKD schemes utilizing Gaussian states and measurements, we identify all protocols that can be 1sDI and their maximum loss tolerance. Surprisingly, this includes a protocol that uses only coherent states. We also establish a direct link between the relevant EPR steering inequality and the secret key rate, further strengthening the relationship between these asymmetric notions of nonlocality and device independence. We experimentally implement both entanglement-based and coherent-state protocols, and measure the correlations necessary for 1sDI key distribution up to an applied loss equivalent to 7.5 and 3.5 km of optical fiber transmission, respectively. We also engage in detailed modeling to understand the limits of our current experiment and the potential for further improvements. The new protocols we uncover apply the cheap and efficient hardware of CV-QKD systems in a significantly more secure setting.

Active temporal multiplexing of indistinguishable heralded single photons

Abstract: It is a fundamental challenge in quantum optics to deterministically generate indistinguishable single photons through non-deterministic nonlinear optical processes, due to the intrinsic coupling of single- and multi-photon-generation probabilities in these processes. Actively multiplexing photons generated in many temporal modes can decouple these probabilities, but key issues are to minimize resource requirements to allow scalability, and to ensure indistinguishability of the generated photons. Here we demonstrate the multiplexing of photons from four temporal modes solely using fibre-integrated optics and off-the-shelf electronic components. We show a 100% enhancement to the single-photon output probability without introducing additional multi-photon noise. Photon indistinguishability is confirmed by a fourfold Hong–Ou–Mandel quantum interference with a 91±16% visibility after subtracting multi-photon noise due to high pump power. Our demonstration paves the way for scalable multiplexing of many non-deterministic photon sources to a single near-deterministic source, which will be of benefit to future quantum photonic technologies. Deterministically generated single photons are useful for quantum communications, but the processes that create such light are often non-deterministic. Here, the authors enhance the single-photon output probability by multiplexing photons from four temporal modes using fibre-integrated optics.

Highly efficient optical quantum memory with long coherence time in cold atoms

Abstract: Optical quantum memory is an essential element for long-distance quantum communication and photonic quantum computation protocols. The practical implementation of such protocols requires an efficient quantum memory with a long coherence time. Beating the no-cloning limit, for example, requires efficiencies above 50%. An ideal optical fiber loop has a loss of 50% in 100 μs, and until now no universal quantum memory has beaten this time efficiency limit. Here, we report results of a gradient echo memory experiment in a cold atomic ensemble with a 1/e coherence time up to 1 ms and maximum efficiency up to 87%±2% for short storage times. Our experimental data demonstrate greater than 50% efficiency for storage times up to 0.6 ms. Quantum storage ability is verified beyond the ideal fiber limit using heterodyne tomography of small coherent states.

Chip-to-chip quantum photonic interconnect by path-polarization interconversion

Abstract: Integrated photonics has enabled much progress toward quantum technologies. Many applications, e.g., quantum communication, sensing, and distributed cloud quantum computing, require coherent photonic interconnection between separate on-chip subsystems. Large-scale quantum computing architectures and systems may ultimately require quantum interconnects to enable scaling beyond the limits of a single wafer, and toward multi-chip systems. However, coherently connecting separate chips remains a challenge, due to the fragility of entangled quantum states. The distribution and manipulation of entanglement between multiple integrated devices is one of the strictest requirements of these systems. Here, we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first quantum photonic interconnect, demonstrating high-fidelity entanglement distribution and manipulation between two separate photonic chips, implemented using state-of-the-art silicon photonics. Path-entangled states are generated on one chip, and distributed to another chip by interconverting between path and polarization degrees of freedom, via a two-dimensional grating coupler on each chip. This path-to-polarization conversion allows entangled quantum states to be coherently distributed. We use integrated state analyzers to confirm a Bell-type violation of S=2.638±0.039 between the two chips. With further improvements in loss, this quantum photonic interconnect will provide new levels of flexibility in quantum systems and architectures.

Experimental perfect state transfer of an entangled photonic qubit

Abstract: The transfer of data is a fundamental task in information systems. Microprocessors contain dedicated data buses that transmit bits across different locations and implement sophisticated routing protocols. Transferring quantum information with high fidelity is a challenging task, due to the intrinsic fragility of quantum states. Here we report on the implementation of the perfect state transfer protocol applied to a photonic qubit entangled with another qubit at a different location. On a single device we perform three routing procedures on entangled states, preserving the encoded quantum state with an average fidelity of 97.1%, measuring in the coincidence basis. Our protocol extends the regular perfect state transfer by maintaining quantum information encoded in the polarization state of the photonic qubit. Our results demonstrate the key principle of perfect state transfer, opening a route towards data transfer for quantum computing systems.

Quantum correlations and coherence in spin-1 Heisenberg chains

Abstract: We explore quantum and classical correlations along with coherence in the ground states of spin-1 Heisenberg chains, namely the one-dimensional XXZ model and the one-dimensional bilinear biquadratic model, with the techniques of density matrix renormalization group theory. Exploiting the tools of quantum information theory, that is, by studying quantum discord, quantum mutual information, and three recently introduced coherence measures in the reduced density matrix of two nearest neighbor spins in the bulk, we investigate the quantum phase transitions and special symmetry points in these models. We point out the relative strengths and weaknesses of correlation and coherence measures as figures of merit to witness the quantum phase transitions and symmetry points in the considered spin-1 Heisenberg chains. In particular, we demonstrate that, as none of the studied measures can detect the infinite-order Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in the XXZ model, they appear to be able to signal the existence of the same type of transition in the biliear biquadratic model. However, we argue that what is actually detected by the measures here is the SU(3) symmetry point of the model rather than the infinite-order quantum phase transition. Moreover, we show in the XXZ model that examining even single site coherence can be sufficient to spotlight the second-order phase transition and the SU(2) symmetry point.

Two-photon interference from a bright single-photon source at telecom wavelengths

Abstract: Long-distance quantum communication relies on the ability to efficiently generate and prepare single photons at telecom wavelengths. In many applications these photons must also be indistinguishable such that they exhibit interference on a beam splitter, which implements effective photon–photon interactions. However, deterministic generation of indistinguishable single photons with high brightness remains a challenging problem. We demonstrate two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths using an InAs/InP quantum dot in a nanophotonic cavity. The cavity enhances the quantum dot emission, resulting in a nearly Gaussian transverse mode profile with high outcoupling efficiency exceeding 36% after multiphoton correction. We also observe a Purcell enhanced spontaneous emission rate of up to 4. Using this source, we generate linearly polarized, high purity single photons at 1.3 μm wavelength and demonstrate the indistinguishable nature of the emission using a two-photon interference measurement, which exhibits indistinguishable visibilities of 18% without postselection and 67% with postselection. Our results provide a promising approach to generate bright, deterministic single photons at telecom wavelength for applications in quantum networking and quantum communication.

Recent advances on integrated quantum communications

Abstract: In recent years, the use of integrated technologies for applications in the field of quantum information processing and communications has made great progress. The resulting devices feature valuable characteristics such as scalability, reproducibility, low cost and interconnectivity, and have the potential to revolutionize our computation and communication practices in the future, much in the way that electronic integrated circuits have drastically transformed our information processing capacities since the last century. Among the multiple applications of integrated quantum technologies, this review will focus on typical components of quantum communication systems and on overall integrated system operation characteristics. We are interested in particular in the use of photonic integration platforms for developing devices necessary in quantum communications, including sources, detectors and both passive and active optical elements. We also illustrate the challenges associated with performing quantum communications on chip, by using the case study of quantum key distribution - the most advanced application of quantum information science. We conclude with promising perspectives in this field.

Quantum superposition, entanglement, and state teleportation of a microorganism on an electromechanical oscillator

Abstract: 薛定谔猫的假想实验展示了量子力学的奇异性质并引起了广泛兴趣.我们提出把一个低温冷冻保存的微生物放在一个电机械振子上来实现活体微生物的量子态叠加, 纠缠和隐形传态. 目前,实验上已经把一个直径15微米的电机械振子的质心运动冷却到量子基态[Nature 475:359 (2011)], 并和微波光子纠缠[Science 342: 710 (2013)]. 把一个质量远小于电机械振子的微生物放在振子上面不会对它的性质和量子操控造成显著影响. 这个微生物可以和振子共同冷却到量子基态并制备到叠加态. 利用一个强磁场梯度,微生物的内部状态(比如甘氨酸自由基的电子自旋)可以和微生物的质心运动纠缠, 并被量子隐形传态到另外一个微生物. 因为微生物的内部状态包含信息, 这个方案能实现两个微生物之间信息和记忆的量子隐形传态.这篇论文也提供了一个达到量子极限的磁共振力学显微镜方案

Converse bounds for private communication over quantum channels

Abstract: This paper establishes several converse bounds on the private transmission capabilities of a quantum channel. The main conceptual development builds firmly on the notion of a private state, which is a powerful, uniquely quantum method for simplifying the tripartite picture of privacy involving local operations and public classical communication to a bipartite picture of quantum privacy involving local operations and classical communication. This approach has previously led to some of the strongest upper bounds on secret key rates, including the squashed entanglement and the relative entropy of entanglement. Here we use this approach along with a "privacy test" to establish a general meta-converse bound for private communication, which has a number of applications. The meta-converse allows for proving that any quantum channel's relative entropy of entanglement is a strong converse rate for private communication. For covariant channels, the meta-converse also leads to second-order expansions of relative entropy of entanglement bounds for private communication rates. For such channels, the bounds also apply to the private communication setting in which the sender and receiver are assisted by unlimited public classical communication, and as such, they are relevant for establishing various converse bounds for quantum key distribution protocols conducted over these channels. We find precise characterizations for several channels of interest and apply the methods to establish several converse bounds on the private transmission capabilities of all phase-insensitive bosonic channels.