Natalia Korolkova

Polarization squeezing and continuous-variable polarization entanglement

A concept of polarization entanglement for continuous variables is introduced. For this purpose the Stokes-parameter operators and the associated Poincare sphere, which describe the quantum-optical polarization properties of light, are defined and their basic properties are reviewed. The general features of the Stokes operators are illustrated by evaluation of their means and variances for a range of simple polarization states. Some of the examples show polarization squeezing, in which the variances of one or more Stokes parameters are smaller than the coherent-state value. The main object of the paper is the application of these concepts to bright squeezed light. It is shown that a light beam formed by interference of two orthogonally polarized quadrature-squeezed beams exhibits squeezing in some of the Stokes parameters. Passage of such a primary polarization-squeezed beam through suitable optical components generates a pair of polarization-entangled light beams with the nature of a two-mode squeezed state. Implementation of these schemes using the double-fiber Sagnac interferometer provides an efficient method for the generation of bright nonclassical polarization states. The important advantage of these nonclassical polarization states for quantum communication is the possibility of experimentally determining all of the relevant conjugate variables of both squeezed and entangled fields using only linear optical elements followed by direct detection.

Experiment towards continuous-variable entanglement swapping: Highly correlated four-partite quantum state

We present a protocol for performing entanglement swapping with intense pulsed beams. In a first step, the generation of amplitude correlations between two systems that have never interacted directly is demonstrated. This is verified in direct detection with electronic modulation of the detected photocurrents. The measured correlations are better than expected from a classical reconstruction scheme. In an entanglement swapping process, a four-partite entangled state is generated. We prove experimentally that the amplitudes of the four optical modes are quantum correlated 3 dB below shot noise, which is consistent with the presence of genuine four-party entanglement.

Polarization squeezing of intense pulses with a fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer

We report on the generation of polarization squeezing of intense, short light pulses using an asymmetric fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer. The Kerr nonlinearity of the fiber is exploited to produce independent amplitude squeezed pulses. The polarization squeezing properties of spatially overlapped amplitude squeezed and coherent states are discussed. The experimental results for a single-amplitude squeezed beam are compared to the case of two phase-matched, spatially overlapped amplitude squeezed pulses. For the latter, noise variances of -3.4 dB below shot noise in the S{sub 0} and the S{sub 1} and of -2.8 dB in the S{sub 2} Stokes parameters were observed, which is comparable to the input squeezing magnitude. Polarization squeezing, that is, squeezing relative to a corresponding polarization minimum uncertainty state, was generated in S{sub 1}.

Distributing entanglement with separable states

We experimentally demonstrate a protocol for entanglement distribution by a separable quantum system. In our experiment, two spatially separated modes of an electromagnetic field get entangled by local operations, classical communication, and transmission of a correlated but separable mode between them. This highlights the utility of quantum correlations beyond entanglement for the establishment of a fundamental quantum information resource and verifies that its distribution by a dual classical and separable quantum communication is possible.

Kerr nonlinear coupler with varying linear coupling coefficient

We investigate a codirectional nonlinear coupler composed of two Kerr nonlinear waveguides. Unlike the conventional device, the linear coupling between the guides is supposed to be a variable function of the propagation distance. We calculate quantum statistical and dynamical properties of the Kerr nonlinear coupler with a coherent input and analyse the influence of coupling variation on oscillations in mean photon number. The possibility to control the switching characteristics and principal squeezing effect by adjusting the form of coupling function is shown.

Mode structure and photon number correlations in squeezed quantum pulses

The question of an efficient multimode description of optical pulses is studied. We show that a relatively very small number of nonmonochromatic modes can be sufficient for a complete quantum description of pulses with Gaussian quadrature statistics. For example, a three-mode description was enough to reproduce the experimental data of photon number correlations in optical solitons [S. Spaelter, N. Korolkova, F. Koenig, A. Sizmann, and G. Leuchs, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 786 (1998)]. This approach is very useful for a detailed understanding of squeezing properties of soliton pulses with the main potential for quantum communication with continuous variables. We show how homodyne detection and/or measurements of photon number correlations can be used to determine the quantum state of the multimode field. We also discuss a possible way of physical separation of the nonmonochromatic modes.

Scheme for the generation of entangled solitons for quantum communication

Quantum-communication needs a source of entanglement which is accessible to non-local measurements. It is shown that an entangled pair of light beams may be generated from two bright amplitude squeezed beams. This is applicable to light pulses and to optical solitons in fibres. A possible experimental scheme for stroboscopic quantum teleportation is discussed.

Nonclassical correlations in continuous-variable non-Gaussian Werner states

We study nonclassical correlations beyond entanglement in a family of two-mode non-Gaussian states which represent the continuous-variable counterpart of two-qubit Werner states. We evaluate quantum discord and other quantumness measures obtaining exact analytical results in special instances, and upper and lower bounds in the general case. Non-Gaussian measurements such as photon counting are in general necessary to solve the optimization in the definition of quantum discord, whereas Gaussian measurements are strictly suboptimal for the considered states. The gap between Gaussian and optimal non-Gaussian conditional entropy is found to be proportional to a measure of non-Gaussianity in the regime of low squeezing, for a subclass of continuous-variable Werner states. We further study an example of a non-Gaussian state which is positive under partial transposition, and whose nonclassical correlations stay finite and small even for infinite squeezing. Our results pave the way to a systematic exploration of the interplay between nonclassicality and non-Gaussianity in continuous-variable systems, in order to gain a deeper understanding of---and to draw a bigger advantage from---these two important resources for quantum technology.

Sub-shot-noise phase quadrature measurement of intense light beams

We present a setup for performing sub-shot-noise measurements of the phase quadrature of intense pulsed light without the use of a separate local oscillator. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an unbalanced arm length is used to detect the fluctuations of the phase quadrature at a single sideband frequency. With this setup, the nonseparability of a pair of quadrature-entangled beams is demonstrated experimentally.

Distribution of continuous-variable entanglement by separable Gaussian states

Entangling two systems at distant locations using a separable mediating ancilla is a counterintuitive phenomenon proposed for qubits by T. Cubitt et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 037902 (2003)]. We show that such entanglement distribution is possible with Gaussian states, using a certain three-mode fully separable mixed Gaussian state and linear optics elements readily available in experiments. Two modes of the state become entangled by sequentially mixing them on two beam splitters, while the third one remains separable in all stages of the protocol.