Topological Inverse Band Theory in Waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics.

Topological phases play a crucial role in the fundamental physics of light-matter interaction and emerging applications of quantum technologies. However, the topological band theory of waveguide QED systems is known to break down, because the energy bands become disconnected. Here, we introduce a concept of the inverse energy band and explore analytically topological scattering in a waveguide with an array of quantum emitters. We uncover a rich structure of topological phase transitions, symmetric scale-free localization, completely flat bands, and the corresponding dark Wannier states. Although bulk-edge correspondence is partially broken because of radiative decay, we prove analytically that the scale-free localized states are distributed in a single inverse energy band in the topological phase and in two inverse bands in the trivial phase. Surprisingly, the winding number of the scattering textures depends on both the topological phase of inverse subradiant band and the odevity of the cell number. Our Letter uncovers the field of the topological inverse bands, and it brings a novel vision to topological phases in light-matter interactions.

Adaptive Bayesian algorithm for achieving a desired magneto-sensitive transition.

Bayesian methods that utilize Bayes' theorem to update the knowledge of desired parameters after each measurement are used in a wide range of quantum science. For various applications in quantum science, efficiently and accurately achieving a quantum transition frequency is essential. However, the exact relation between a desired transition frequency and the controllable experimental parameters is usually absent. Here, we propose an efficient scheme to search the suitable conditions for a desired magneto-sensitive transition via an adaptive Bayesian algorithm and experimentally demonstrate it by using coherent population trapping in an ensemble of laser-cooled 87Rb atoms. The transition frequency is controlled by an external magnetic field, which can be tuned in realtime by applying a d.c. voltage. Through an adaptive Bayesian algorithm, the voltage can automatically converge to the desired one from a random initial value only after few iterations (N ≥ 10). The response time is limited by the time of obtaining the spectrum signal, which is about 50 s for 10 iterations in our experiment. In particular, when the relation between the target frequency and the applied voltage is nonlinear (e.g., quadratic), our algorithm shows significant advantages over traditional methods. This work provides a simple and efficient way to determine a transition frequency, which can be widely applied in the fields of precision spectroscopy, such as atomic clocks, magnetometers, and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Multiparticle Quantum Walks and Fisher Information in One-Dimensional Lattices.

Recent experiments on quantum walks (QWs) demonstrated a full control over the statistics-dependent walks of single particles and two particles in one-dimensional lattices. However, little is known about the general characterization of QWs at the many-body level. Here, we rigorously study QWs, Bloch oscillations, and the quantum Fisher information for three indistinguishable bosons and fermions in one-dimensional lattices using a time-evolving block decimation algorithm and many-body perturbation theory. We show that such strongly correlated QWs not only give rise to statistics-and-interaction-dependent ballistic transports of scattering states and of two- and three-body bound states but also allow a quantum enhanced precision measurement of the gravitational force. In contrast to the QWs of the fermions, the QWs of three bosons exhibit strongly correlated Bloch oscillations, which present a surprising time scaling t^{3} of the Fisher information below a characteristic time t_{0} and saturate to the fundamental limit of t^{2} for t>t_{0}.

Laser frequency stabilization via bichromatic Doppler-free spectroscopy of an 87Rb D1 line.

We demonstrate a bichromatic Doppler-free spectroscopy of an 87RbD1 line by using a dual-frequency, counterpropagating laser field with orthogonal linear polarizations. A reversed Doppler-free resonance dip is observed in the dual-frequency scheme, and a significant improvement of frequency discrimination curve is acquired due to the coherent population trapping (CPT) effect. The influence of the static magnetic field and laser intensity on the spectroscopy is studied in both single- and dual-frequency schemes. After locking the laser frequency to the 87RbD1 line in the dual-frequency stabilization scheme, the beat note fractional frequency stability is at the level of 7×10-12 at 1 s integration time. This technique can be used in various applications, such as CPT atomic clocks, laser spectroscopy, quantum optics, and laser-cooling experiments.

Photon-Mediated Localization in Two-Level Qubit Arrays.

We predict the existence of a novel interaction-induced spatial localization in a periodic array of qubits coupled to a waveguide. This localization can be described as a quantum analogue of a self-induced optical lattice between two indistinguishable photons, where one photon creates a standing wave that traps the other photon. The localization is caused by the interplay between on-site repulsion due to the photon blockade and the waveguide-mediated long-range coupling between the qubits.

Simple and effective coupling technique for polarization maintaining fibers.

We present a simple and effective technique for coupling free-space laser beams into polarization maintaining fibers (PMFs) with high coupling efficiency. We measure both input and output laser beam sizes near the PMF by using the knife-edge method and build a suitable two-lens system for beam shaping according to the difference between those two beam sizes. For tapered amplifiers, we achieve high coupling efficiency above 70% with the help of the seeding mirrors. For external cavity diode lasers, we obtain high coupling efficiency above 80%. In addition, we demonstrate that theoretical maximum coupling efficiency can be approached by using a mode-filtered beam. Our technique is easy to implement and suitable for many applications such as coherent optical communication, atomic physics experiments, and precision measurements.

Inelastic Scattering of Photon Pairs in Qubit Arrays with Subradiant States.

We develop a rigorous theoretical approach for analyzing inelastic scattering of photon pairs in arrays of two-level qubits embedded into a waveguide. Our analysis reveals a strong enhancement of the scattering when the energy of incoming photons resonates with the double-excited subradiant states. We identify the role of different double-excited states in the scattering, such as superradiant, subradiant, and twilight states, as a product of single-excitation bright and subradiant states. Importantly, the N-excitation subradiant states can be engineered only if the number of qubits exceeds 2N. Both the subradiant and twilight states can generate long-lived photon-photon correlations, paving the way to storage and processing of quantum information.

Role of excited states in molecular alignment-dependent ionization.

We introduce an ab initio approach and the modified strong-field approximation to investigate the alignment-dependent ionization of H2+(1πu) exposed to different few-cycle laser fields. The ab initio calculations are performed by the B-splines one-center method and the Crank-Nicolson method in spherical coordinates. It is shown that the peak ionization probabilities appear around alignment angles 50° and 40° at the laser intensities 3×1013 W/cm2 and 5×1013 W/cm2, respectively, and the above distinct features come from the resonant excitation of the molecular ion, which is confirmed by calculation including and excluding the state 2σg in the basis expansion. Furthermore, the results obtained by including the state 2σg in the ab initio simulations can be qualitatively reproduced by the modified molecular length gauge strong-field approximation (SFA) taking account of the 1πu and 2σg states simultaneously. Analysis indicates that a part of electron is directly emitted from the 1πu orbital and another portion of electron is released from 2σg orbital and other excited state after the single-photon resonant transition between 1πu and 2σg orbitals.

Localized surface modes in parity-time-symmetric potentials.

We investigate light-beam propagation along the interface between linear and nonlinear media with parity-time symmetry. A novel class of two-dimensional localized surface modes (LSMs) is found analytically and numerically. If the potential is parity-time invariant along the direction parallel to the interface between the two media, stable LSMs can exist. Otherwise, if the potential is parity-time invariant along the direction perpendicular to the interface between the two media, there are no stable LSMs.

Pseudo-parity-time symmetry in optical systems.

We introduce a novel concept of the pseudo-parity-time (pseudo-PT) symmetry in periodically modulated optical systems with balanced gain and loss. We demonstrate that whether or not the original system is PT symmetric, we can manipulate the property of the PT symmetry by applying a periodic modulation in such a way that the effective system derived by the high-frequency Floquet method is PT symmetric. If the original system is non-PT symmetric, the PT symmetry in the effective system will lead to quasistationary propagation that can be associated with the pseudo-PT symmetry. Our results provide a promising approach for manipulating the PT symmetry of realistic systems.

Asymmetric topological pumping in nonparaxial photonics.

Topological photonics was initially inspired by the quantum-optical analogy between the Schrödinger equation for an electron wavefunction and the paraxial equation for a light beam. Here, we reveal an unexpected phenomenon in topological pumping observed in arrays of nonparaxial optical waveguides where the quantum-optical analogy becomes invalid. We predict theoretically and demonstrate experimentally an asymmetric topological pumping when the injected field transfers from one side of the waveguide array to the other side whereas the reverse process is unexpectedly forbidden. Our finding could open an avenue for exploring topological photonics that enables nontrivial topological phenomena and designs in photonics driven by nonparaxiality.

Dressed state dynamics of two-component Bose-Einstein Condensates in state-dependent potentials.

Dressed potentials realized by coupling state-dependent bare potentials with external fields have important applications in trapping and manipulating atoms. Here, we study the dynamics of dressed states for coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in state-dependent potentials. Through both analytical and numerical methods, we find that the dressed state dynamics sensitively depend on both the inter-component coupling strength and the initial state. If the inter-component coupling is strong enough and the initial wave packet is located at the potential minimum, the dressed states can be decoupled and the Josephson oscillations and macroscopic quantum self-trapping appear. However, if the initial wave packet is located far away from the potential minimum, the wave packet will acquire a large kinetic energy and Landau-Zener transitiozs between the dressed states occur at the avoided-crossing point. Further, we give the validity ranges and conditions for the formation of adiabatic potentials, where the influences of Landau-Zener transitions can be ignored. Our results give an insight on how the inter-component coupling affects the dressed state dynamics and how to realize adiabatic potentials with BECs in state-dependent potentials.

Experimental demonstration of nonlinear quantum metrology with optimal quantum state.

Nonlinear quantum metrology may exhibit better precision scalings. For example, the uncertainty of an estimated phase may scale as Δϕ∝1/N2 under quadratic phase accumulation, which is 1/N times smaller than the linear counterpart, where N is probe number. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the nonlinear quantum metrology by using a spin-I (I>1/2) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) ensemble that can be mapped into a system of N=2I spin-1/2 particles and the quadratic interaction can be utilized for the quadratic phase accumulation. Our experimental results show that the phase uncertainty can scale as Δϕ∝1/(N2-1) by optimizing the input states, when N is an odd number. In addition, the interferometric measurement with quadratic interaction provides a new way for estimating the quadrupolar coupling strength in an NMR system. Our system may be further extended to exotic nonlinear quantum metrology with higher order many-body interactions.

Quantum metrology with spin cat states under dissipation.

Quantum metrology aims to yield higher measurement precisions via quantum techniques such as entanglement. It is of great importance for both fundamental sciences and practical technologies, from testing equivalence principle to designing high-precision atomic clocks. However, due to environment effects, highly entangled states become fragile and the achieved precisions may even be worse than the standard quantum limit (SQL). Here we present a high-precision measurement scheme via spin cat states (a kind of non-Gaussian entangled states in superposition of two quasi-orthogonal spin coherent states) under dissipation. In comparison to maximally entangled states, spin cat states with modest entanglement are more robust against losses and their achievable precisions may still beat the SQL. Even if the detector is imperfect, the achieved precisions of the parity measurement are higher than the ones of the population measurement. Our scheme provides a realizable way to achieve high-precision measurements via dissipative quantum systems of Bose atoms.

Chaotic probability density in two periodically driven and weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates.

Using the idea of the macroscopic quantum wave function and the definition of the classical chaos, we analytically reveal that the probability density of two periodically driven and weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates is deterministic but not predictable. Numerical calculation for the time evolutions of the chaotic probability density demonstrates the analytical result and exhibits the nonphysical implosions and ultimate unboundedness. A method for controlling the implosions and unboundedness is proposed through adjustment of the initial conditions that leads the probability density to periodically oscillate.

Universality and anomalous mean-field breakdown of symmetry-breaking transitions in a coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensate.

We study both mean-field and full quantum dynamics of symmetry-breaking transitions (SBTs) in a coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensate. By controlling s-wave scattering lengths and the coupling strength, it is possible to stimulate SBTs between normal and spontaneously polarized ground states. In static transitions, the probability maxima of full quantum ground states correspond to the mean-field ground states. In dynamical transitions, due to the vanishing of excitation gaps, the mean-field dynamics shows universal scalings obeying the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. Both mean-field and full quantum defect modes appear as damped oscillations, but they appear at different critical points and undergo different oscillation regimes. The anomalous breakdown of mean-field dynamics induced by SBTs depends on the approaching direction.

Adiabatic Mach-Zehnder interferometry on a quantized Bose-Josephson junction.

We propose a scheme to achieve Mach-Zehnder interferometry using a quantized Bose-Josephson junction with a negative charging energy. The quantum adiabatic evolution through a dynamical bifurcation is used to accomplish the beam splitting and recombination. The negative charging energy ensures the existence of a path-entangled state which enhances the phase measurement precision to the Heisenberg limit. A feasible detection procedure is also presented. The scheme should be realizable with current technology.

Melting of discrete vortices via quantum fluctuations.

We consider nonlinear boson states with a nontrivial phase structure in the three-site Bose-Hubbard ring, quantum discrete vortices (or q vortices), and study their "melting" under the action of quantum fluctuations. We calculate the spatial correlations in the ground states to show the superfluid-insulator crossover and analyze the fidelity between the exact and variational ground states to explore the validity of the classical analysis. We examine the phase coherence and the effect of quantum fluctuations on q vortices and reveal that the breakdown of these coherent structures through quantum fluctuations accompanies the superfluid-insulator crossover.

Bose-Einstein condensation of particle-hole pairs in ultracold fermionic atoms trapped within optical lattices.

We investigate the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC, superfluidity) of particle-hole pairs in ultracold fermionic atoms with repulsive interactions and arbitrary polarization, which are trapped within optical lattices. In the strongly repulsive limit, the dynamics of particle-hole pairs can be described by a hard-core Bose-Hubbard model. The insulator-superfluid and charge-density-wave- (CDW) superfluid phase transitions can be induced by decreasing and increasing the potential depths with controlling the trapping laser intensity, respectively. The parameter and polarization dependence of the critical temperatures for the ordered states (BEC and/or CDW) are discussed simultaneously.