Robert Keil

Anderson localization in optical waveguide arrays with off-diagonal coupling disorder

We observe the transition from extended to Anderson-localized states in silica waveguide arrays exhibiting off-diagonal coupling disorder.

Coherent quantum transport in photonic lattices

Transferring quantum states efficiently between distant nodes of an information processing circuit is of paramount importance for scalable quantum computing. We report on an observation of a perfect state transfer protocol on a lattice, thereby demonstrating the general concept of transporting arbitrary quantum information with high fidelity. Coherent transfer over 19 sites is realized by utilizing judiciously designed optical structures consisting of evanescently coupled waveguide elements. We provide unequivocal evidence that such an approach is applicable in the quantum regime, for both bosons and fermions, as well as in the classical limit. Our results illustrate the potential of the perfect state transfer protocol as a promising route towards integrated quantum computing on a chip.

All-optical routing and switching for three-dimensional photonic circuitry

The ability to efficiently transmit and rapidly process huge amounts of data has become almost indispensable to our daily lives. It turned out that all-optical networks provide a very promising platform to deal with this task. Within such networks opto-optical switches, where light is directed by light, are a crucial building block for an effective operation. In this article, we present an experimental analysis of the routing and switching behaviour of light in two-dimensional evanescently coupled waveguide arrays of Y- and T-junction geometries directly inscribed into fused silica using ultrashort laser pulses. These systems have the fundamental advantage of supporting three-dimensional network topologies, thereby breaking the limitations on complexity associated with planar structures while maintaining a high dirigibility of the light. Our results show how such arrays can be used to control the flow of optical signals within integrated photonic circuits.

Classical analogue of displaced Fock states and quantum correlations in Glauber-Fock photonic lattices.

Coherent states and their generalizations, displaced Fock states, are of fundamental importance to quantum optics. Here we present a direct observation of a classical analogue for the emergence of these states from the eigenstates of the harmonic oscillator. To this end, the light propagation in a Glauber-Fock waveguide lattice serves as equivalent for the displacement of Fock states in phase space. Theoretical calculations and analogue classical experiments show that the square-root distribution of the coupling parameter in such lattices supports a new family of intriguing quantum correlations not encountered in uniform arrays. Because of the broken shift invariance of the lattice, these correlations strongly depend on the transverse position. Consequently, quantum random walks with this extra degree of freedom may be realized in Glauber-Fock lattices.

Compact surface Fano states embedded in the continuum of waveguide arrays.

We describe theoretically and observe experimentally the formation of a surface state in a semi-infinite waveguide array with a side-coupled waveguide, designed to simultaneously achieve Fano and Fabry-Perot resonances. We demonstrate that the surface mode is compact, with all energy concentrated in a few waveguides at the edge and no field penetration beyond the side-coupled waveguide position. Furthermore, we show that by broadening the spectral band in the rest of the waveguide array it is possible to suppress exponentially localized modes, while the Fano state having the eigenvalue embedded in the continuum is preserved.

Amorphous Photonic Lattices: Band Gaps, Effective Mass, and Suppressed Transport

We study, experimentally and numerically, amorphous photonic lattices and the existence of band gaps therein. Our amorphous system comprises 2D waveguides distributed randomly according to a liquidlike model responsible for the absence of Bragg peaks, as opposed to ordered lattices with disorder which always exhibit Bragg peaks. In amorphous lattices the bands comprise localized states, but we find that defect states residing in the gap are more localized than the localization length of states within the band. Finally, we show how the concept of effective mass carries over to amorphous photonic lattices.

Wavelength-tunable entangled photons from silicon-integrated III-V quantum dots.

Many of the quantum information applications rely on indistinguishable sources of polarization-entangled photons. Semiconductor quantum dots are among the leading candidates for a deterministic entangled photon source; however, due to their random growth nature, it is impossible to find different quantum dots emitting entangled photons with identical wavelengths. The wavelength tunability has therefore become a fundamental requirement for a number of envisioned applications, for example, nesting different dots via the entanglement swapping and interfacing dots with cavities/atoms. Here we report the generation of wavelength-tunable entangled photons from on-chip integrated InAs/GaAs quantum dots. With a novel anisotropic strain engineering technique based on PMN-PT/silicon micro-electromechanical system, we can recover the quantum dot electronic symmetry at different exciton emission wavelengths. Together with a footprint of several hundred microns, our device facilitates the scalable integration of indistinguishable entangled photon sources on-chip, and therefore removes a major stumbling block to the quantum-dot-based solid-state quantum information platforms.

Implementation of quantum and classical discrete fractional Fourier transforms

Fourier transforms, integer and fractional, are ubiquitous mathematical tools in basic and applied science. Certainly, since the ordinary Fourier transform is merely a particular case of a continuous set of fractional Fourier domains, every property and application of the ordinary Fourier transform becomes a special case of the fractional Fourier transform. Despite the great practical importance of the discrete Fourier transform, implementation of fractional orders of the corresponding discrete operation has been elusive. Here we report classical and quantum optical realizations of the discrete fractional Fourier transform. In the context of classical optics, we implement discrete fractional Fourier transforms of exemplary wave functions and experimentally demonstrate the shift theorem. Moreover, we apply this approach in the quantum realm to Fourier transform separable and path-entangled biphoton wave functions. The proposed approach is versatile and could find applications in various fields where Fourier transforms are essential tools.

Biphoton generation in quadratic waveguide arrays: A classical optical simulation

Quantum entanglement became essential in understanding the non-locality of quantum mechanics. In optics, this non-locality can be demonstrated on impressively large length scales, as photons travel with the speed of light and interact only weakly with their environment. Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in nonlinear crystals provides an efficient source for entangled photon pairs, so-called biphotons. However, SPDC can also be implemented in nonlinear arrays of evanescently coupled waveguides which allows the generation and the investigation of correlated quantum walks of such biphotons in an integrated device. Here, we analytically and experimentally demonstrate that the biphoton degrees of freedom are entailed in an additional dimension, therefore the SPDC and the subsequent quantum random walk in one-dimensional arrays can be simulated through classical optical beam propagation in a two-dimensional photonic lattice. Thereby, the output intensity images directly represent the biphoton correlations and exhibit a clear violation of a Bell-like inequality.

Tailoring the correlation and anticorrelation behavior of path-entangled photons in Glauber-Fock oscillator lattices

We demonstrate that single-photon as well as biphoton revivals are possible in a new class of dynamic optical systems-the so-called Glauber-Fock oscillator lattices. In these arrays, both Bloch-like oscillations and dynamic delocalization can occur which can be described in closed form. The bunching and anti-bunching response of path-entangled photons can be pre-engineered in such coupled optical arrangements and the possibility of emulating Fermionic behavior in this family of lattices is also considered. We elucidate these effects via pertinent examples and we discuss the prospect of experimentally observing these quantum interactions.