An integrated single- and two-photon non-diffracting light-sheet microscope.

We describe a fluorescence optical microscope with both single-photon and two-photon non-diffracting light-sheet excitations for large volume imaging. With a special design to accommodate two different wavelength ranges (visible: 400-700 nm and near infrared: 800-1200 nm), we combine the line-Bessel sheet (LBS, for single-photon excitation) and the scanning Bessel beam (SBB, for two-photon excitation) light sheet together in a single microscope setup. For a transparent thin sample where the scattering can be ignored, the LBS single-photon excitation is the optimal imaging solution. When the light scattering becomes significant for a deep-cell or deep-tissue imaging, we use SBB light-sheet two-photon excitation with a longer wavelength. We achieved nearly identical lateral/axial resolution of about 350/270 nm for both imagings. This integrated light-sheet microscope may have a wide application for live-cell and live-tissue three-dimensional high-speed imaging.

Subnatural-linewidth biphotons from a Doppler-broadened hot atomic vapour cell.

Entangled photon pairs, termed as biphotons, have been the benchmark tool for experimental quantum optics. The quantum-network protocols based on photon-atom interfaces have stimulated a great demand for single photons with bandwidth comparable to or narrower than the atomic natural linewidth. In the past decade, laser-cooled atoms have often been used for producing such biphotons, but the apparatus is too large and complicated for engineering. Here we report the generation of subnatural-linewidth (<6 MHz) biphotons from a Doppler-broadened (530 MHz) hot atomic vapour cell. We use on-resonance spontaneous four-wave mixing in a hot paraffin-coated 87Rb vapour cell at 63 °C to produce biphotons with controllable bandwidth (1.9-3.2 MHz) and coherence time (47-94 ns). Our backward phase-matching scheme with spatially separated optical pumping is the key to suppress uncorrelated photons from resonance fluorescence. The result may lead towards miniature narrowband biphoton sources.

Multicolor 4D Fluorescence Microscopy using Ultrathin Bessel Light Sheets.

We demonstrate a simple and efficient method for producing ultrathin Bessel ('non-diffracting') light sheets of any color using a line-shaped beam and an annulus filter. With this robust and cost-effective technology, we obtained two-color, 3D images of biological samples with lateral/axial resolution of 250 nm/400 nm, and high-speed, 4D volume imaging of 20 µm sized live sample at 1 Hz temporal resolution.

Shaping the Biphoton Temporal Waveform with Spatial Light Modulation.

We demonstrate a technique for shaping the temporal wave function of biphotons generated from spatially modulated spontaneous four-wave mixing in cold atoms. We show that the spatial profile of the pump field can be mapped onto the biphoton temporal wave function in the group delay regime. The spatial profile of the pump laser beam is shaped by using a spatial light modulator. This spatial-to-temporal mapping enables the generation of narrow-band biphotons with controllable temporal waveforms.

A user-friendly two-color super-resolution localization microscope.

We report a robust two-color method for super-resolution localization microscopy. Two-dye combination of Alexa647 and Alexa750 in an imaging buffer containing COT and using TCEP as switching regent provides matched and balanced switching characteristics for both dyes, allowing simultaneous capture of both on a single camera. Active sample locking stabilizes sample with 1nm accuracy during imaging. With over 4,000 photons emitted from both dyes, two-color superresolution images with high-quality were obtained in a wide range of samples including cell cultures, tissue sections and yeast cells.

Measuring the biphoton temporal wave function with polarization-dependent and time-resolved two-photon interference.

We propose and demonstrate an approach to measuring the biphoton temporal wave function with polarization-dependent and time-resolved two-photon interference. Through six sets of two-photon interference measurements projected onto different polarization subspaces, we can reconstruct the amplitude and phase functions of the biphoton temporal waveform. For the first time, we apply this technique to experimentally determine the temporal quantum states of the narrow-band biphotons generated from the spontaneous four-wave mixing in cold atoms.

Efficiently loading a single photon into a single-sided Fabry-Perot cavity.

We demonstrate that a single photon with an optimal temporal waveform can be efficiently loaded into a cavity. Using heralded narrow-band single photons with exponential growth wave packet shaped by an electro-optical amplitude modulator, whose time constant matches the photon lifetime in the cavity, we demonstrate a loading efficiency of (87±2)% from free space to a single-sided Fabry-Perot cavity. We further demonstrate directly loading heralded single Stokes photons into the cavity with an efficiency of (60±5)% without the electro-optical amplitude modulator and verify the time reversal between the frequency-entangled paired photons. Our result and approach may enable promising applications in realizing large-scale quantum networks based on cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Differential-phase-shift quantum key distribution using heralded narrow-band single photons.

We demonstrate the first proof of principle differential phase shift (DPS) quantum key distribution (QKD) using narrow-band heralded single photons with amplitude-phase modulations. In the 3-pulse case, we obtain a quantum bit error rate (QBER) as low as 3.06% which meets the unconditional security requirement. As we increase the pulse number up to 15, the key creation efficiency approaches 93.4%, but with a cost of increasing the QBER. Our result suggests that narrow-band single photons maybe a promising source for the DPS-QKD protocol.

Oxygen-assisted charge transfer between ZnO quantum dots and graphene.

Efficient charge transfer between ZnO quantum dots (QDs) and graphene is demonstrated by decorating ZnO QDs on top of graphene, with the assistance of oxygen molecules from the air. The electrical response of the device to UV light is greatly enhanced, and a photoconductive gain of up to 10(7) can be obtained.

Superdiffusive motion of the Pb wetting layer on the Si(111) surface.

Mass transport in the Pb wetting layer on the Si(111) surface is investigated by observing nonequilibrium coverage profile evolution with low energy electron microscopy and microlow energy electron diffraction. Equilibration of an initial coverage step profile occurs by the exchange of mass between oppositely directed steep coverage gradients that each move with unperturbed shape. The bifurcation of the initial profile, the shape of the profile between the two moving edges, and the time dependence of equilibration are all at odds with expectations for classical diffusion behavior. These observations signal a very unusual coverage dependence of diffusion or may even reveal an exceptional collective superdiffusive mechanism.

Optimal storage and retrieval of single-photon waveforms.

We report an experimental demonstration of optimal storage and retrieval of heralded single-photon wave packets using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in cold atoms at a high optical depth. We obtain an optimal storage efficiency of (49 ± 3)% for single-photon waveforms with a temporal likeness of 96%. Our result brings the EIT quantum light-matter interface closer to practical quantum information applications.

Piezotronic effects on the optical properties of ZnO nanowires.

We report the piezotronic effects on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of bent ZnO nanowires (NWs). We find that the piezoelectric field largely modifies the spatial distribution of the photoexcited carriers in a bent ZnO NW. This effect, together with strain-induced changes in the energy band structure due to the piezoresistive effects, results in a net redshift of free exciton PL emission from a bent ZnO NW. At the large-size limit, this net redshift depends only on the strain parameter, but it is size-dependent if the diameter of the NW is comparable to that of the depletion layer. The experimental data obtained using the near-field scanning optical microscopy technique at low temperatures support our theoretical model.

A dark-line two-dimensional magneto-optical trap of 85Rb atoms with high optical depth.

We describe the apparatus of a dark-line two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical trap (MOT) of (85)Rb cold atoms with high optical depth (OD). Different from the conventional configuration, two (of three) pairs of trapping laser beams in our 2D MOT setup do not follow the symmetry axes of the quadrupole magnetic field: they are aligned with 45° angles to the longitudinal axis. Two orthogonal repumping laser beams have a dark-line volume in the longitudinal axis at their cross over. With a total trapping laser power of 40 mW and repumping laser power of 18 mW, we obtain an atomic OD up to 160 in an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) scheme, which corresponds to an atomic-density-length product NL = 2.05 × 10(15) m(-2). In a closed two-state system, the OD can become as large as more than 600. Our 2D MOT configuration allows full optical access of the atoms in its longitudinal direction without interfering with the trapping and repumping laser beams spatially. Moreover, the zero magnetic field along the longitudinal axis allows the cold atoms maintain a long ground-state coherence time without switching off the MOT magnetic field, which makes it possible to operate the MOT at a high repetition rate and a high duty cycle. Our 2D MOT is ideal for atomic-ensemble-based quantum optics applications, such as EIT, entangled photon pair generation, optical quantum memory, and quantum information processing.

Coherent control of single-photon absorption and reemission in a two-level atomic ensemble.

We demonstrate coherent control of single-photon absorption and reemission in a two-level cold atomic ensemble. This is achieved by interfering the incident single-photon wave packet with the emission (or scattering) wave. For a photon with an exponential growth waveform with a time constant equal to the excited-state lifetime, we observe that the single-photon emission probability during the absorption can be suppressed due to the perfect destructive interference. After the incident photon waveform is switched off, the absorbed photon is then reemitted to the same spatial mode as that of the incident photon with an efficiency of 20%. For a photon with an exponential decay waveform with the same time constant, both the absorption and reemission occur within the waveform duration. Our experimental results suggest that the absorption and emission of a single photon in a two-level atomic ensemble may possibly be manipulated by shaping its waveform in the time domain.

Optical storage with electromagnetically induced transparency in a dense cold atomic ensemble.

We experimentally investigate optical storage with electromagnetically induced transparency in a dense cold (85)Rb atomic ensemble. By varying the optical depth (OD) from 0 to 140, we observe that the optimal storage efficiency has a saturation value of 50% as OD>50. Our result is consistent with that obtained from hot vapor cell experiments.

Optical precursor of a single photon.

We report the direct observation of optical precursors of heralded single photons with step- and square-modulated wave packets passing through cold atoms. Using electromagnetically induced transparency and the slow-light effect, we separate the single-photon precursor, which always travels at the speed of light in vacuum, from its delayed main wave packet. In the two-level superluminal medium, our result suggests that the causality holds for a single photon.

Generation of narrow-band hyperentangled nondegenerate paired photons.

We report the generation of nondegenerate narrow-bandwidth paired photons with time-frequency and polarization entanglements from laser cooled atoms. We observe the two-photon interference caused by Rabi splitting with a coherence time of about 30 ns and a visibility of 81.8% which verifies the time-frequency entanglement of the paired photons. The polarization entanglement is confirmed by polarization correlation measurements which exhibit a visibility of 89.5% and characterized by quantum-state tomography with a fidelity of 90.8%. Taking into account the transmission losses and duty cycle, we estimate that the system generates hyperentangled paired photons into opposing single-mode fibers at a rate of 320 pairs per second.

Stacked optical precursors from amplitude and phase modulations.

We report the generation of stacked optical precursors from a laser beam whose amplitude or phase is modulated by sequenced on-off step waveforms. Making use of the constructive interference between the precursors produced from different steps, as well as the main field, we generate optical transient pulses having peak powers of eight times the input power with electromagnetically induced transparency in laser-cooled atoms.

Two-photon free-induction decay with electromagnetically induced transparency.

We report the observation of coherent two-photon free-induction decay (FID) in a three-level Lambda system excited by a low-intensity square-modulated laser pulse. Using electromagnetically induced transparency in an Rb85 cold atomic cloud, for what we believe to be the first time, we observe FID signals with coherence time exceeding the relevant atomic excited-state natural lifetime. Because of the on-resonance enhancement, the two-photon FID signal can be observed at the falling edge without using heterodyne means.

Shaping biphoton temporal waveforms with modulated classical fields.

We experimentally demonstrate a technique for shaping the temporal quantum waveform of narrow-band biphotons generated in a cold atomic ensemble via four-wave mixing by periodically modulating the two input classical lasers. We show that it is possible to generate nonclassical paired photons with a predesigned shape of the correlation function.