We theoretically study the properties of a dielectric plate with a modified Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer. The fourth-order correlation functions are calculated in two regimes, which are divided depending on the relative size between the thickness of the dielectric plate and the one-photon coherence length. When the thickness of the dielectric plate is less than the one-photon coherence length, a novel modulation behavior of the coincidence rate is observed, which has not been discussed before. If the thickness of the dielectric plate is larger than the one-photon coherence length, coalescence and anti-coalescence are observed. The obtained results highlight the effects of a linear optical element on fourth-order interference.
Indispensable for quantum communication and quantum computation,quantum memory executes on demand storage and retrieval of quantum states such as those of a single photon,an entangled pair or squeezed states.Among the various forms of quantum memory,Raman quantum memory has advantages forits broadband and high-speed characteristics,which results in a huge potential for applications in quantum networks and quantum computation.However,realising Raman quantum memory with true single photons and photonic entanglementis challenging.In this review,after briefly introducing the main benchmarks in the development of quantum memory and describing the state of the art,we focus on our recent experimental progress inquantum memorystorage of quantum states using the Raman scheme.
Light-carrying orbital angular momentum(OAM)has great potential in enhancing the information channel capacity in both classical and quantum optical communications.Long distance optical communication requires the wavelengths of light are situated in the low-loss communication windows,but most quantum memories currently being developed for use in a quantum repeater work at different wavelengths,so a quantum interface to bridge the wavelength gap is necessary.So far,such an interface for OAM-carried light has not been realized yet.Here,we report the first experimental realization of a quantum interface for a heralded single photon carrying OAM using a nonlinear crystal in an optical cavity.The spatial structures of input and output photons exhibit strong similarity.More importantly,single-photon coherence is preserved during up-conversion as demonstrated.
Entangled quantum states in high-dimensional space show many advantages compared with entangled states in two-dimensional space.The former enable quantum communication with higher channel capacity,enable more efficient quantum-information processing and are more feasible for closing the detection loophole in Bell test experiments.Establishing high-dimensional entangled memories is essential for long-distance communication,but its experimental realization is lacking.We experimentally established high-dimensional entanglement in orbital angular momentum space between two atomic ensembles separated by 1 m.We reconstructed the density matrix for a three-dimensional entanglement and obtained an entanglement fidelity of(83.9±2.9)%.More importantly,we confirmed the successful preparation of a state entangled in more than three-dimensional space(up to seven-dimensional)using entanglement witnesses.Achieving high-dimensional entanglement represents a significant step toward a high-capacity quantum network.
In this work, we report on an off-resonant four-wave mixing experiment via a ladder-type configuration in a hot rubidium atomic vapour. We find for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that the generated light is delayed compared with the reference. At the same time, the seeded signal beam is also delayed, though the delay time is not as so large as the one that the generated light has. Both delayed times can be adjusted experimentally by controlling the two-photon detuning. The experimental results are in good agreement with our theoretical predictions. Our results may be important for storing telecom-band photons.
The long-range interaction between Rydberg-excited atoms endows a medium with large optical nonlinearity.Here,we demonstrate an optical switch to operate on a single photon from an entangled photon pair under a Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency configuration.With the presence of the Rydberg blockade effect,we switch on a gate field to make the atomic medium nontransparent thereby absorbing the single photon emitted from another atomic ensemble via the spontaneous fourwave mixing process.In contrast to the case without a gate field,more than 50%of the photons sent to the switch are blocked,and finally achieve an effective single-photon switch.There are on average 1-2 gate photons per effective blockade sphere in one gate pulse.This switching effect on a single entangled photon depends on the principal quantum number and the photon number of the gate field.Our experimental progress is significant in the quantum information process especially in controlling the interaction between Rydberg atoms and entangled photon pairs.
Yi-Chen YuMing-Xin DongYing-Hao YeGuang-Can GuoDong-Sheng DingBao-Sen Shi
