Maximizing optical production of metastable xenon.

The wide range of applications using metastable noble gas atoms has led to a number of different approaches for producing large metastable state densities. Here we investigate a recently proposed hybrid approach that combines RF discharge techniques with optical pumping from an auxiliary state in xenon. We study the effect of xenon pressure on establishing initial population in both the auxiliary state and metastable state via the RF discharge, and the role of the optical pumping beam power in transferring population between the states. We find experimental conditions that maximize the effects, and provide a robust platform for producing relatively large long-term metastable state densities.

Transmission characteristics of optical nanofibers in metastable xenon.

We study the transmission characteristics of subwavelength diameter silica optical nanofibers (ONFs) surrounded with xenon plasma produced by low-pressure inductive RF discharge. In contrast with related experiments using rubidium vapor, we find essentially no degradation of optical transmission through the ONFs as a function of time. We also observe a pronounced ONF transmission modulation effect that depends on the conditions of the xenon plasma.

Optically enhanced production of metastable xenon.

Metastable states of noble gas atoms are typically produced by electrical discharge techniques or "all-optical" excitation methods. Here we combine electrical discharges with optical pumping to demonstrate "optically enhanced" production of metastable xenon (Xe*). We experimentally measure large increases in Xe* density with relatively small optical control field powers. This technique may have applications in systems where large metastable state densities are desirable.

Nanofiber-segment ring resonator.

We describe a fiber ring resonator comprised of a relatively long loop of standard single-mode fiber with a short nanofiber segment. The evanescent mode of the nanofiber segment allows the cavity-enhanced field to interact with atoms in close proximity to the nanofiber surface. We report on an experiment using a warm atomic vapor and low-finesse cavity, and briefly discuss the potential for reaching the strong coupling regime of cavity QED by using trapped atoms and a high-finesse cavity of this kind.

Saturated absorption at nanowatt power levels using metastable xenon in a high-finesse optical cavity.

Strong saturated absorption at nanowatt power levels has been demonstrated using metastable xenon in a high finesse optical cavity. The use of metastable xenon allows a high quality factor of Q = 2 × 10(8) to be achieved at relatively high atomic densities without any contamination or damage to the optical surfaces, which is often a problem when using high-density rubidium or other alkali atoms. This technique provides a relatively straightforward way to produce nonlinearities at the single-photon level with possible applications in quantum communications and computing.

Proposal for a destructive controlled phase gate using linear optics.

Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn showed that linear optics techniques could be used to implement a nonlinear sign gate. They also showed that two of their nonlinear sign gates could be combined to implement a controlled-phase gate, which has a number of practical applications. Here we describe an alternative implementation of a controlled-phase gate for a single-rail target qubit that only requires the use of a single nonlinear sign gate. This gives a much higher average probability of success when the required ancilla photons are generated using heralding techniques. This implementation of a controlled-phase gate destroys the control qubit, which is acceptable in a number of applications where the control qubit would have been destroyed in any event, such as in a postselection process.

Observation of two-photon absorption at low power levels using tapered optical fibers in rubidium vapor.

Nonlinear optical effects can be enhanced in tapered optical fibers with diameters less than the wavelength of the propagating light. Here we report on the observation of two-photon absorption using tapered fibers in rubidium vapor at power levels of less than 150 nW. Transit-time broadening produces two-photon absorption spectra with sharp peaks that are very different from conventional line shapes.

Velocity-dependent optical forces and Maxwell's demon.

An atom placed in a focused laser beam will experience a dipole force due to the gradient in the interaction energy, which is analogous to the well-known optical tweezers effect. This force will be dependent on the velocity of the atom due to the Doppler effect, which could potentially be used to implement a Maxwell's demon. Photon scattering and other forms of dissipation can be negligibly small, which would seem to contradict quantum information proofs that a Maxwell's demon must dissipate a minimum amount of energy. We show that the velocity dependence of the dipole force is cancelled out by another force that is related to the gradient in the phase of the laser beam. As a result, a Maxwell's demon cannot be implemented in this way.

Entangled photon holes.

Most experimental demonstrations of entanglement require nonclassical states and correlated measurements of single-photon detection events. It is shown here that entanglement can produce a large decrease in the rate of two-photon absorption for a classical input state that can be observed using classical detectors. These effects can be interpreted as being due to the creation of entangled photon holes that are somewhat analogous to the holes of semiconductor theory.

Quantum cryptography using optical fibers.

Quantum cryptography permits the transmission of secret information whose security is guaranteed by the uncertainty principle. An experimental system for quantum crytography is implemented based on the linear polarization of single photons transmitted by an optical fiber. Polarization-preserving optical fiber and a feedback loop are employed to maintain the state of polarization. Error rates of less than 0.5% are obtained.

Violation of Bell's inequality with photons from independent sources.

We report a violation of Bell's inequality using one photon from a parametric down-conversion source and a second photon from an attenuated laser beam. The two photons were entangled at a beam splitter using the postselection technique of Shih and Alley [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 2921 (1988)]]. A quantum interference pattern with a visibility of 91% was obtained using the photons from these independent sources, as compared with a visibility of 99.4% using two photons from a central parametric down-conversion source.

Quantum cryptography in free space.

The range of quantum cryptography systems using optical fibers is limited to roughly 30 km because amplifiers cannot be used. A fully operational system for quantum cryptography based on the transmission of single photons in free space under daylight conditions has been demonstrated. The feasibility of a global system for quantum cryptography based on a network of ground stations and satellites is discussed.

Demonstration of nondeterministic quantum logic operations using linear optical elements.

Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn [Nature (London) 409, 46 (2001)] recently showed that nondeterministic quantum logic operations could be performed using linear optical elements, additional photons (ancilla), and postselection based on the output of single-photon detectors. Here we report the experimental demonstration of two logic devices of this kind, a destructive controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate and a quantum parity check. These two devices can be combined with a pair of entangled photons to implement a conventional (nondestructive) CNOT that succeeds with a probability of 1/4.

High-fidelity quantum logic operations using linear optical elements.

Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn [Nature (London) 409, 46 ((2001))]] have shown that quantum logic operations can be performed using linear optical elements and additional ancilla photons. Their approach is probabilistic in the sense that the logic devices fail to produce an output with a failure rate that scales as 1/n, where n is the number of ancilla. Here we present an alternative approach in which the logic devices always produce an output with an intrinsic error rate that scales as 1/n(2), which may have several advantages in quantum computing applications.