A mistura de quatro ondas (4WM) é um processo não linear que permite a amplificação paramétrica de campos óticos. A partir de um campo de bombeio, podemos amplificar um campo de prova e gerar um campo conjugado neste processo com um elevado ganho. Recentemente, vários experimentos de 4WM foram realizados em células de rubídio revelando compressão de ruído e emaranhamento da luz [1, 2, 3], levando a aplicações interessantes na área de informação quântica. Estudamos a mistura de quatro ondas numa célula de vapor de rubídio dentro de uma cavidade ótica, servindo como um oscilador paramétrico ótico (OPO). Resolvemos o modelo de campo médio e estudamos as flutuações quânticas dos campos na operação acima do limiar de oscilação para os casos de ressonância dupla (prova e conjugado) e tripla. Mostramos o emaranhamento de três campos (bombeio, prova e conjugado), além de compressão de ruído para o campo de bombeio e para os campos convertidos. Nosso modelo permite estudar o caso de uma cavidade aberta, explorando a região próxima ao limiar, diferente da situação experimental observada para sistemas com não-linearidades (2), que geralmente possuem ganhos baixos e necessitam de cavidades fechadas. Palavras chave: ótica quântica, mistura de quatro ondas, Oscilador paramétrico ótico, emaranhamento. [1] Squeezed light and entangled images from four-wave-mixing in hot rubidium vapor, vol. 7092, 2008. [2] R. C. Pooser, A. M. Marino, V. Boyer, K. M. Jones, and P. D. Lett, Low-noise amplifi- cation of a continuous-variable quantum state, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 103, p. 010501, Jun 2009. [3] V. Boyer, A. M. Marino, R. C. Pooser, and P. D. Lett, Entangled images from four-wave mixing, Science, vol. 321, no. 5888, pp. 544547, 2008. / The four waves (4WM) is a non-linear process that allows a parametric amplification of optical fields. From a pump field, we can amplify a test field and generate a conjugate field in this process with a high gain. Recently, several experiments of 4WM were carried out on rubidium cells revealing noise squeezing and entanglement [1, 2, 3], leading to some interesting aplications in the area of quantum information. We Studied the four wave mix in a rubidium vapor cell inside an optical cavity, serving as an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). We solved the mean field model and studied the quantum fluctuations of the fields in the operation above the oscillation threshold for the cases of double resonance (pump and conjugate) and triple (pump, probe and conjugate). We show the entanglement of three fields (pump, probe and conjugate), as well as squeezing for the pump field and the converted fields. The model allows to study the case of an open cavity, exploring the region around the threshold, different from the experimental situation observed for non-linear systems (2), which in general producess low gains and needs closed cavities. Key words: quantum optics, four wave mixing, optical parametric oscilator, entanglement. [1] Squeezed light and entangled images from four-wave-mixing in hot rubidium vapor, vol. 7092, 2008. [2] R. C. Pooser, A. M. Marino, V. Boyer, K. M. Jones, and P. D. Lett, Low-noise amplifi- cation of a continuous-variable quantum state, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 103, p. 010501, Jun 2009. [3] V. Boyer, A. M. Marino, R. C. Pooser, and P. D. Lett, Entangled images from four-wave mixing, Science, vol. 321, no. 5888, pp. 544547, 2008.

Deux photons - deux atomes (2P2A) excitation s’avère être un banc de test importantde propriétés optiques quantiques. Depuis 1980, on sait que la probabilité de transition2P2A peut être grandement améliorée en utilisant la source monochromatique cohérenteavec la présence d’interactions atomiques qui induisent un pic de résonance de 2P2A. En2004 , Muthukrishnan et al. sont trouvés une grande amélioration de la transition ainsique d’une résonance de 2P2A, quand une source de deux photons intriqués, provenant dela radiation d’un atome cascade à trois niveaux, interagit avec les deux atomes différentsde l’ interaction. Leur conclusion est que : dans certaines situations, l’intrication peutremplacer un vrai hamiltonien d’interaction, qui est une déclaration de grande portée etune propriété importante liée à l’intrication. Ce phénomène mérite plus d’attention et defavoriser la compréhension. / Two-photonÐtwo-atom (2P2A) excitation turns out to be an important test bench of quantum optical properties. In 2004, Muthukrishnan et al. announced a great enhancement of the transition at 2P2A resonance, when an entangled two-photon state, coming from a three-level cascade, interacts with two non-interacting atoms. Their conclusion: in some situations, entanglement can replace a real interaction Hamiltonian, reveals an important property related to entanglement. In this thesis, We study in detail the efficiency of various multimode two-photon states of light to induce the simultaneous excitation of two atoms of different kinds under 2P2A resonance condition. We find that several separable, correlated states, produced either by an atomic cascade or parametric down-conversion, or even appropriate combinations of coherent states, have comparable efficiencies as the photon state produced by an atomic cascade. We conclude that the true physical origin of the enhancement is the frequency anti-correlations, neither the temporal correlations, time ordering, nor entanglement. To present, we are not sure whether or not the enhancement is a quantum effect. We also studied: 1. the optimized 2P2A transition probability for a given photon spectrum; 2. the influence coming from finite lifetimes of the excited detecting atoms; 3. the 2P2A transition probability in the presence of atomic interaction.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Center for Quantum Computing Technology,School of Physics, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 237-257).

The past three decades have seen extraordinary progress in the manipulation of neutral atoms with laser light, to the point where it is now routine to trap and cool both individual atoms and entire atomic clouds to temperatures of only a few tens of nanoKelvin in a controlled and repeatable fashion. In this thesis we study several applications of Rydberg atoms - atoms with an electron in a highly excited state - within such ultracold atomic systems. Due to their highly-excited electron, Rydberg atoms have a number of exaggerated properties: in addition to being physically large, they have long radiative lifetimes, and interact strongly both with one another and with applied external fields. Rydberg atoms consequently find many interesting applications within ultracold atomic physics. We begin this thesis by analysing the way in which a rubidium atom prepared in an excited Rydberg state decays to the ground state. Using quantum defect theory to model the wavefunction of the excited electron, we compute branching ratios for the various decay channels that lead out of the Rydberg states of rubidium. By using these results to carry out detailed simulations of the radiative cascade process, we show that the dynamics of spontaneous emission from Rydberg states cannot be adequately described by a truncated atomic level structure. We then investigate the stability of ultra-large diatomic molecules formed by pairs of Rydberg atoms. Using quantum defect theory to model the electronic wavefunctions, we apply molecular integral techniques to calculate the equilibrium distance and binding energy of these molecular Rydberg states. Our results indicate that these Ryberg macro-dimers are predicted to show a potential minimum, with equilibrium distances of up to several hundred nanometres. In the second half of this thesis, we present a new method of symbolically evaluating functions of matrices. This method, which we term the method of path-sums, has applications to the simulation of strongly-correlated many-body Rydberg systems, and is based on the combination of a mapping between matrix multiplications and walks on weighted directed graphs with a universal result on the structure of such walks. After presenting and proving this universal graph theoretic result, we develop the path-sum approach to matrix functions. We discuss the application of path-sums to the simulation of strongly-correlated many-body quantum systems, and indicate future directions for the method.

No description available.

Quantum correlations play a fundamental role in quantum information science. The variety of their manifestations has become increasingly apparent following the development of novel light sources, protocols and photodetectors. One broad classification identifies two instances of non-classical correlations: particle and mode entanglement. These categories mirror two coexisting descriptions of quantum systems in terms of discrete and continuous variables of the electromagnetic field. The past decades have generated a number of promising results based on schemes which encompass elements from both frameworks, rather than viewing the two descriptions as mutually exclusive. In this context, it is possible to conceive and realise experiments where either the quantum resource or the detection system is 'hybrid'. Optical weak-field homodyne detectors bring together phase sensitivity and photon counting; as such, they represent a detection scheme which works across continuous and discrete variables of the radiation field. In this thesis we present a two-mode weak-field homodyne detection layout with added photon-number resolution and apply it to the study of a split single-photon state and a squeezed vacuum state. As a first test of the capabilities of this system, we investigate the reconstruction of relevant features of a given quantum resource - such as its photon statistics - with our detection scheme. Further, we experimentally demonstrate the observation of an instance of non-classical optical coherence which combines the continuous- and discrete-variable descriptions explicitly. The ability to probe phenomena at the interface of wave and particle regimes opens the way to novel, improved schemes for quantum information processing. From a more fundamental perspective, such hybrid approaches may shed light on the very roots of quantum enhancement.

This portfolio of work contributes to the remit of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to develop the underpinning expertise and tools for validating nascent and future optical quantum technologies based on the discrete and quantum properties of photons. This requirement overlaps with the requirement to provide validation for devices operating in the photon-counting regime. A common theme running through the portfolio is photon pairs generated through spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC). A Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer sourced with visible wavelength photon pairs from an SPDC process in beta-barium borate (BBO) was designed, built and characterised. The visibility of the HOM interference is dependent on the indistinguishability of the interfering photons, but is also influenced by imperfections of the interferometer; therefore an investigation was carried out to quantify the effects of the interferometer imperfections on the measured visibility so that the true photon indistinguishability could be measured with a quantified uncertainty. A bright source of correlated pair photons in the telecoms band based upon a pump enhanced SPDC process in periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) was designed, built and characterised. From the characterisation measurements the source brightness was estimated to be 6.2×10⁴ pairs/ s/ mw pump. The photon pairs were further characterised through their incorporation as a source in a HOM interference experiment. The developed correlated photon pair source was at the heart of a novel scheme for the generation of polarisation entangled photon pairs, for which the design, build and characterisation work is presented. The source was demonstrated to produce two of the four maximally entangled Bell states with quantum interference visibilities of around 0.95. The generated states were also shown to break a form of Bell's inequality by around six standard deviations. The polarisation entangled photon pair source was originally built at the University of St Andrews and was later transferred to the NPL where it will extend NPL's capabilities to this key spectral region. Finally a study was carried out to investigate the possibility of a wavelength tuneable device for the absolute measurement of single photon detector quantum efficiencies based upon an established SPDC technique.

One of today’s challenges to realise computing based on quantum mechanics is to reliably and scalably encode information in quantum systems. Here, we present a photon source to on-demand deliver photonic quantum bits of information based on a strongly coupled atom-cavity system. The source operates intermittently for periods of up to 100 <i>μ</i>s, with a single-photon repetition rate of 1 MHz, and an intra-cavity production efficiency of up to 85%. Our ability to arbitrarily control the photons’ wavepackets and phase profiles, together with long coherence times of 500 ns, allows to store time-bin encoded quantum information within a single photon. To do so, the spatio-temporal envelope of a single photon is sub-divided in d time bins which allows for the delivery of arbitrary qu-d-its. This is done with a fidelity of > 95% for qubits, and 94% for qutrits verified using a newly developed time-resolved quantum-homodyne measurement technique. Additionally, we combine two separate fields of quantum physics by using our deterministic single-photon source to seed linear optics quantum computing (LOQC) circuits. As a step towards quantum networking, it is shown that this photon source can be combined with quantum gates, namely a chip-integrated beam splitter, a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate as well as a CNOT4 gate. We use this CNOT4 gate to entangle photons deterministically emitted from our source and observe non-classical correlations between events separated by periods exceeding the travel time across the chip by three orders of magnitude. Additionally, we use time-bin encoded qubits to systematically study the de- and re-phasing of quantum states as well as the the effects of time-varying internal phases in photonic quantum circuits.

Quantenzentren in Kristallgittern spielen als sogenannte Festkörper-Qubits eine entscheidende Rolle für die Entwicklung der zweiten Quantenrevolution. Das G-Zentrum in Silizium kann hierfür einen wesentlichen Beitrag leisten, da es sich CMOS-kompatibel und damit skalierbar herstellen lässt, es eine scharfe Nullphononenlinie im Bereich der optischen Telekommunikation besitzt und ODMR-aktiv ist. Dies macht es zu einem geeigneten Kandidaten für die Entwicklung photonischer Mikrochips, auf denen Quantentechnologien und Lichtwellenleitung durch eine Spin-Photon-Schnittstelle miteinander verknüpft werden, um somit alle Kriterien zum Aufbau eines Quantennetzwerkes zu erfüllen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden G-Zentren durch niederenergetische und räumlich-selektive Ionen-Implantation hergestellt und mittels Photolumineszenz-Spektroskopie und Magnetresonanzmessungen auf ihre optischen und quantenphysikalischen Eigenschaften untersucht. Anhand umfangreicher temperaturabhängiger Ensemble-Messungen in reinem Silizium werden offene Fragen zum Sättigungsverhalten, der Rekombinationsdynamik und der Verschiebung bzw. Verbreiterung der Nullphononenlinie geklärt und die ersten Zerfallszeit-Messungen des angeregten Zustandes des Defektes vorgestellt. Durch die Verwendung von SOI-Proben in Kombination mit niederenergetischer Ionen-Implantation wird weiterhin die erste, jemals in Silizium isolierte Einzelphotonenquelle hergestellt und durch zahlreiche Polarisations- und Korrelationsmessungen als solche identifiziert. Durch die Einzelphotonenmessung erfolgt zusätzlich eine erste Abschätzung der Quanteneffizienz der G-Zentren und die Messung der Lebensdauer des isolierten angeregten Zustandes. Um den Quantenzustand der G-Zentren mittels Mikrowellenfeld manipulieren und sowohl optische als auch elektronisch auslesen zu können, wird ein experimenteller Aufbau beschrieben, mit dem die magnetische Resonanz der G-Zentren in einer SOI-Probe temperaturabhängig bis in den kryogenen Bereich detektiert werden kann. Nach den ersten manuellen Testmessungen wird der Versuchsaufbau durch neue Steuergeräte und eine Automatisierung weiter optimiert, um damit umfangreiche Messungen bei T = 40K und Raumtemperatur durchzuführen. Dabei wird eine mikrowellenabhängige Manipulation der Photolumineszenz der G-Zentren beobachtet, welche mit dem detektierten Photostrom korreliert ist. Die Manipulation der Photolumineszenz wird hauptsächlich auf eine Veränderung der Ladungsträgerdichte aufgrund anderer spinabhängiger Rekombinationszentren zurückgeführt, welche sich an den Grenzflächen des SOI-Schichtstapels bilden. Ideen, um den Einfluss der G-Zentren durch Unterdrückung der anderen Rekombinationszentren zu erhöhen, werden diskutiert.:Bibliografische Beschreibung Referat Abstract Zusammenfassung der Dissertation Contents List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations 1 Introduction and motivation 1.1 Demand for silicon photonics and quantum technologies 1.2 Description and aim of the project 1.3 Outline 2 Solid-state and optical properties of silicon 2.1 Crystal properties 2.1.1 Structure 2.1.2 Lattice vibrations 2.1.3 Debye-Waller factor 2.1.4 Energy bands 2.2 Defects and doping in silicon 2.2.1 Intrinsic and extrinsic point defects 2.2.2 Line, area and volume defects 2.2.3 Doping 2.3 Luminescence from silicon 2.3.1 Optical properties of bulk silicon 2.3.2 Non-linear effects in silicon 2.3.3 Dislocation loops 2.3.4 Quantum confinement effects 2.3.5 Rare-Earth (Erbium) doping 2.3.6 Light emitting defects in silicon 2.4 G centers in silicon 2.4.1 Structural properties and creation of G centers 2.4.2 Optical properties and applications of G centers 3 Solid-state quantum technologies 3.1 Ion implantation for defect engineering 3.1.1 High-energy accelerator “Lipsion” 3.1.2 100 kV Microbeam 3.2 Quantum optics 3.2.1 Properties of single photons 3.2.2 Photoluminescence and single-photon measurements 3.2.3 Applications of single-photon sources - quantum key distribution 3.3 Quantum computing 3.3.1 Basic principle 3.3.2 Photonic qubits 3.3.3 Solid-state qubits 4 Optical properties of an ensemble of G centers in silicon 4.1 Experiment description and basic properties 4.1.1 Sample fabrication 4.1.2 Optical spectroscopy 4.1.3 PL response of different defect densities 4.1.4 Photoluminescence excitation measurement 4.1.5 Saturation behavior 4.2 Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy 4.2.1 Thermal redshift 4.2.2 ZPL broadening 4.2.3 Temperature-dependent PL intensity 4.2.4 Temperature-dependent lifetime and decay rate 4.3 Recombination dynamics 4.3.1 Spectrally selective recombination dynamics 4.3.2 Lifetime and defect density 4.3.3 Phonon-assisted recombination model 5 G centers as single-photon sources in silicon 5.1 Experimental description 5.1.1 Sample fabrication 5.1.2 Optical spectroscopy 5.2 Evidence of a single-photon source 5.2.1 Autocorrelation study 5.2.2 Photodynamics 5.2.3 PL polarization 5.3 Properties of single photons from G centers 5.3.1 ZPL shift 5.3.2 Saturation and stability 5.3.3 Lifetime of an isolated G center 5.3.4 Estimation of the quantum efficiency 6 Optical and photoelectric readout of G centers in silicon 6.1 Setup 6.1.1 Sample preparation 6.1.2 Circuit board and cryostat 6.1.3 Measuring and control devices 6.1.4 PL spectroscopy 6.2 Manual ODMR and PDMR at cryogenic temperature 6.3 Automated PDMR measurements 6.3.1 Spectrum analysis 6.3.2 Etiology 6.3.3 Voltage dependence 6.3.4 Temperature dependence 6.3.5 Laser dependence 6.3.6 Magnetic field dependence 6.4 Automated PDMR and ODMR at cryogenic temperature 6.5 Discussion 6.5.1 Microwave dielectric heating in silicon 6.5.2 Spin-dependent recombination centers in Si and Si/SiO2 interfaces 6.6 Conclusion 7 Summary and outlook Bibliography Danksagung Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang Selbstständigkeitserklärung Erklärung für die Bibliothek / Quantum centers in crystal lattices can form so-called solid-state qubits that play a crucial role for the progress of the second quantum revolution. The G center in silicon can make a significant contribution to this, since it can be fabricated in a CMOS compatible and thus scalable way, it has a sharp zero-phonon line in the optical telecommunication range, and it is ODMR active. This makes it a suitable candidate for the development of photonic microchips, where quantum technologies and optical waveguides are linked by a spin-photon interface, thus fulfilling all the criteria to build a quantum network. In the present work, G centers are fabricated by low-energy and spatially-selective ion implantation and their optical and quantum physical properties are investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy and magnetic resonance measurements. Using extensive temperature-dependent ensemble measurements in pure silicon, open questions on saturation behavior, recombination dynamics, and zero-phonon line shift as well as broadening are clarified, and the first decay time measurements of the excited state of this defect are presented. By using SOI samples in combination with low-energy ion implantation, the first single-photon source ever isolated in silicon is further fabricated and identified as such by extensive polarization and correlation measurements. The single-photon measurement additionally provides a first estimation of the quantum efficiency of the G centers and the measurement of the lifetime of the isolated excited state. In order to manipulate the quantum state of the G centers by means of a microwave field and to enable an optical as well as an electronical readout, an experimental setup is designed and assembled that allows the temperature-dependent detection of magnetic resonances of G centers in a SOI sample down to the cryogenic range. After the first manual test measurements, the experimental setup is further optimized by new control devices and process automation to allow extensive measurements at T = 40K and room temperature. A microwave-dependent manipulation of the photoluminescence of the G centers is observed, which is correlated with the detected photocurrent. The manipulation of the photoluminescence is mainly attributed to a change in the charge carrier density due to other spin-dependent recombination centers that form at the interfaces of the SOI layer stack. Ideas to increase the influence of the G centers by suppressing the other recombination centers are discussed.:Bibliografische Beschreibung Referat Abstract Zusammenfassung der Dissertation Contents List of Figures List of Tables Abbreviations 1 Introduction and motivation 1.1 Demand for silicon photonics and quantum technologies 1.2 Description and aim of the project 1.3 Outline 2 Solid-state and optical properties of silicon 2.1 Crystal properties 2.1.1 Structure 2.1.2 Lattice vibrations 2.1.3 Debye-Waller factor 2.1.4 Energy bands 2.2 Defects and doping in silicon 2.2.1 Intrinsic and extrinsic point defects 2.2.2 Line, area and volume defects 2.2.3 Doping 2.3 Luminescence from silicon 2.3.1 Optical properties of bulk silicon 2.3.2 Non-linear effects in silicon 2.3.3 Dislocation loops 2.3.4 Quantum confinement effects 2.3.5 Rare-Earth (Erbium) doping 2.3.6 Light emitting defects in silicon 2.4 G centers in silicon 2.4.1 Structural properties and creation of G centers 2.4.2 Optical properties and applications of G centers 3 Solid-state quantum technologies 3.1 Ion implantation for defect engineering 3.1.1 High-energy accelerator “Lipsion” 3.1.2 100 kV Microbeam 3.2 Quantum optics 3.2.1 Properties of single photons 3.2.2 Photoluminescence and single-photon measurements 3.2.3 Applications of single-photon sources - quantum key distribution 3.3 Quantum computing 3.3.1 Basic principle 3.3.2 Photonic qubits 3.3.3 Solid-state qubits 4 Optical properties of an ensemble of G centers in silicon 4.1 Experiment description and basic properties 4.1.1 Sample fabrication 4.1.2 Optical spectroscopy 4.1.3 PL response of different defect densities 4.1.4 Photoluminescence excitation measurement 4.1.5 Saturation behavior 4.2 Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy 4.2.1 Thermal redshift 4.2.2 ZPL broadening 4.2.3 Temperature-dependent PL intensity 4.2.4 Temperature-dependent lifetime and decay rate 4.3 Recombination dynamics 4.3.1 Spectrally selective recombination dynamics 4.3.2 Lifetime and defect density 4.3.3 Phonon-assisted recombination model 5 G centers as single-photon sources in silicon 5.1 Experimental description 5.1.1 Sample fabrication 5.1.2 Optical spectroscopy 5.2 Evidence of a single-photon source 5.2.1 Autocorrelation study 5.2.2 Photodynamics 5.2.3 PL polarization 5.3 Properties of single photons from G centers 5.3.1 ZPL shift 5.3.2 Saturation and stability 5.3.3 Lifetime of an isolated G center 5.3.4 Estimation of the quantum efficiency 6 Optical and photoelectric readout of G centers in silicon 6.1 Setup 6.1.1 Sample preparation 6.1.2 Circuit board and cryostat 6.1.3 Measuring and control devices 6.1.4 PL spectroscopy 6.2 Manual ODMR and PDMR at cryogenic temperature 6.3 Automated PDMR measurements 6.3.1 Spectrum analysis 6.3.2 Etiology 6.3.3 Voltage dependence 6.3.4 Temperature dependence 6.3.5 Laser dependence 6.3.6 Magnetic field dependence 6.4 Automated PDMR and ODMR at cryogenic temperature 6.5 Discussion 6.5.1 Microwave dielectric heating in silicon 6.5.2 Spin-dependent recombination centers in Si and Si/SiO2 interfaces 6.6 Conclusion 7 Summary and outlook Bibliography Danksagung Wissenschaftlicher Werdegang Selbstständigkeitserklärung Erklärung für die Bibliothek

Die Arbeit untersucht theoretisch die Wechselwirkung neutraler Teilchen (Atome, Moleküle) mit Oberflächen, soweit sie durch das elektromagnetische Feld vermittelt wird. Spektrale Energiedichten und Kohärenzfunktionen werden hergeleitet und liefern eine umfassende Charakterisierung des Felds auf der sub-Wellenlängen-Skala. Die Ergebnisse finden auf zwei Teilgebieten Anwendung: in der integrierten Atomoptik, wo ultrakalte Atome an thermische Oberflächen koppeln, und in der Nahfeldoptik, wo eine Auflösung unterhalb der Beugungsbegrenzung mit einzelnen Molekülen als Sonden und Detektoren erzielt werden kann. / We theoretically discuss the interaction of neutral particles (atoms, molecules) with surfaces in the regime where it is mediated by the electromagnetic field. A thorough characterization of the field at sub-wavelength distances is worked out, including energy density spectra and coherence functions. The results are applied to typical situations in integrated atom optics, where ultracold atoms are coupled to a thermal surface, and to single molecule probes in near field optics, where sub-wavelength resolution can be achieved.