Toward real-time quantum imaging with a single pixel camera

Two-beam coupling in the production of quantum correlated images by four-wave mixing

We investigate the effect of 2-beam coupling in different imaging geometries in generating intensity-difference squeezing from four-wave mixing (4WM) in Rb atomic vapors. A recently-introduced dual-seeding technique can cancel out the classical noise in a seeded four-wave mixing process. This dual-seeding technique, however, can introduce new complications that involve 2-beam coupling between different seeded spatial modes in the atomic vapor and can ruin squeezing at frequencies on the order of the atomic linewidth and below. This complicates some forms of quantum imaging using these systems. Here we show that seeding the 4WM process with skew rays can eliminate the excess noise caused by 2-beam coupling. To avoid 2-beam coupling in bright, seeded images, it is important to re-image the object in the gain medium, instead of focussing through it.

Quantum Plasmonic Sensors

The extraordinary sensitivity of plasmonic sensors is well-known in the optics and photonics community. These sensors exploit simultaneously the enhancement and the localization of electromagnetic fields close to the interface between a metal and a dielectric. This enables, for example, the design of integrated biochemical sensors at scales far below the diffraction limit. Despite their practical realization and successful commercialization, the sensitivity and associated precision of plasmonic sensors are starting to reach their fundamental classical limit given by quantum fluctuations of light-known as the shot-noise limit. To improve the sensing performance of these sensors beyond the classical limit, quantum resources are increasingly being employed. This area of research has become known as "quantum plasmonic sensing", and it has experienced substantial activity in recent years for applications in chemical and biological sensing. This review aims to cover both plasmonic and quantum techniques for sensing, and it shows how they have been merged to enhance the performance of plasmonic sensors beyond traditional methods. We discuss the general framework developed for quantum plasmonic sensing in recent years, covering the basic theory behind the advancements made, and describe the important works that made these advancements. We also describe several key works in detail, highlighting their motivation, the working principles behind them, and their future impact. The intention of the review is to set a foundation for a burgeoning field of research that is currently being explored out of intellectual curiosity and for a wide range of practical applications in biochemistry, medicine, and pharmaceutical research.

Characterization of quantum squeezing generated from the phase-sensitive and phase-insensitive amplifiers in the ultra-low average input photon number regime

We give the general expressions of intensity-difference squeezing (IDS) generated from two types of optical parametric amplifiers [i.e. phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) and phase-insensitive amplifier (PIA)] based on the four-wave mixing process, which clearly shows the IDS transition between the ultra-low average input photon number regime and the ultra-high average input photon number regime. We find that both the IDS of the PSA and the IDS of the PIA get enhanced with the decrease of the average input photon number especially in the ultra-low average input photon number regime. This result is substantially different from the result in the ultra-high average input photon number regime where the IDS does not vary with the average input photon number. Moreover, under the same intensity gain, we find that the optimal IDS of the PSA is better than the IDS of the PIA in the ultra-low average input photon number regime. Our theoretical work predicts the presence of strong quantum correlation in the ultra-low average input photon number regime, which may have potential applications for probing photon-sensitive biological samples.

Truncated Nonlinear Interferometry for Quantum-Enhanced Atomic Force Microscopy

Nonlinear interferometers that replace beam splitters in Mach-Zehnder interferometers with nonlinear amplifiers for quantum-enhanced phase measurements have drawn increasing interest in recent years, but practical quantum sensors based on nonlinear interferometry remain an outstanding challenge. Here, we demonstrate the first practical application of nonlinear interferometry by measuring the displacement of an atomic force microscope microcantilever with quantum noise reduction of up to 3 dB below the standard quantum limit, corresponding to a quantum-enhanced measurement of beam displacement of 1.7  fm/sqrt[Hz]. Further, we minimize photon backaction noise while taking advantage of quantum noise reduction by transducing the cantilever displacement signal with a weak squeezed state while using dual homodyne detection with a higher power local oscillator. This approach may enable quantum-enhanced broadband, high-speed scanning probe microscopy.

Quantum image processing algorithm using edge extraction based on Kirsch operator

In this work, a quantum image processing algorithm is developed using the edge extraction method together with the Kirsch operator. In our approach, novel enhanced quantum representation (NEQR) is employed as the image representation model for processing quantum image, which generates results of edge extraction using the Kirsch operator. The proposed algorithm can perform real-time image processing with high accuracy. We carry out the design, analyses, and simulations of quantum circuits based on our approach, which shows that the image processing speed and acuracy are much better than the classical edge extraction algorithms.

Interference-Induced Quantum Squeezing Enhancement in a Two-beam Phase-Sensitive Amplifier

We experimentally demonstrate a method for realizing quantum squeezing enhancement which is induced by the interference in a two-beam phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA) based on a four-wave mixing process. Compared to the normal phase-insensitive amplifier with an intensity-difference squeezing (IDS) of 8.97±0.24  dB or 8.76±0.26  dB, the IDS of our two-beam PSA is enhanced to 10.13±0.21  dB under the same experimental situation. Furthermore, we study how various parameters influence the quantum squeezing enhancement of the PSA. These results clearly show that the physical mechanism inducing the IDS enhancement of the two-beam PSA is its intrinsic interference nature. Our results may find potential applications in improving the fidelity of quantum information processing and the precision of quantum metrology.

Polarization squeezing at the audio frequency band for the Rubidium D1 line

A 2.8-dB polarization squeezing of the Stokes operatorS^₂for the rubidium D₁ line (795 nm) is achieved, with the lowest squeezing band at an audio frequency of 2.6 kHz. It is synthetized by a bright coherent beam and a squeezed vacuum, which are orthogonally polarized and share same frequency. Two methods are applied to support the optical parametric oscillator: an orthogonally-polarized locking beam that precludes residual unwanted interference and quantum noise locking method that locks the squeezing phase. Besides, the usage of low noise balanced detector, mode cleaner and the optical isolator helped to improve the audio frequency detection. The squeezing level is limited by absorption-induced losses at short wavelengths, which is 397.5 nm. The generated polarization squeezed light can be used in a quantum enhanced magnetometer to increase the measurement sensitivity.

Hybrid interferometer with nonlinear four-wave mixing process and linear beam splitter

Optical interferometer has played an important role in optics. Up to now, many kinds of interferometers have been realized and found their applications. In this letter, we experimentally construct an interferometer by using parametric amplifier as a wave splitter and beam splitter as a wave combiner. We make measurements of interference fringes and explore the relationships between the interference visibility of the interferometer and various system parameters, such as the gain of the parametric amplifier, the one-photon detuning and the temperature of the Rb-85 vapor cell.

Naturally stable Sagnac-Michelson nonlinear interferometer

Interferometers measure a wide variety of dynamic processes by converting a phase change into an intensity change. Nonlinear interferometers, making use of nonlinear media in lieu of beamsplitters, promise substantial improvement in the quest to reach the ultimate sensitivity limits. Here we demonstrate a new nonlinear interferometer utilizing a single parametric amplifier for mode mixing-conceptually, a nonlinear version of the conventional Michelson interferometer with its arms collapsed together. We observe up to 99.9% interference visibility and find evidence for noise reduction based on phase-sensitive gain. Our configuration utilizes fewer components than previous demonstrations and requires no active stabilization, offering new capabilities for practical nonlinear interferometric-based sensors.

Nonlinear optical magnetometry with accessible in situ optical squeezing

We demonstrate compact and accessible squeezed-light magnetometry using four-wave mixing in a single hot rubidium vapor cell. The strong intrinsic coherence of the four-wave mixing process results in nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR) on each mode of a two-mode relative-intensity squeezed state. This framework enables 4.7 dB of quantum noise reduction while the opposing polarization rotation signals of the probe and conjugate fields add to increase the total signal to noise ratio.