Suotang Jia

Experimental quantum secure direct communication with single photons

Quantum secure direct communication is an important mode of quantum communication in which secret messages are securely communicated directly over a quantum channel. Quantum secure direct communication is also a basic cryptographic primitive for constructing other quantum communication tasks, such as quantum authentication and quantum dialog. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of quantum secure direct communication based on the DL04 protocol and equipped with single-photon frequency coding that explicitly demonstrated block transmission. In our experiment, we provided 16 different frequency channels, equivalent to a nibble of four-bit binary numbers for direct information transmission. The experiment firmly demonstrated the feasibility of quantum secure direct communication in the presence of noise and loss.

Quartz enhanced photoacoustic H2S gas sensor based on a fiber-amplifier source and a custom tuning fork with large prong spacing

A quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor, employing an erbium-doped fiber amplified laser source and a custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) with its two prongs spaced ∼800 μm apart, is reported. The sensor employs an acoustic micro-resonator (AmR) which is assembled in an “on-beam” QEPAS configuration. Both length and vertical position of the AmR are optimized in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, significantly improving the QEPAS detection sensitivity by a factor of ∼40, compared to the case of a sensor using a bare custom QTF. The fiber-amplifier-enhanced QEPAS sensor is applied to H2S trace gas detection, reaching a sensitivity of ∼890 ppb at 1 s integration time, similar to those obtained with a power-enhanced QEPAS sensor equipped with a standard QTF, but with the advantages of easy optical alignment, simple installation, and long-term stability.

Design of a Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy System for On-Line Quality Analysis of Pulverized Coal in Power Plants

It is vitally important for a power plant to determine the chemical composition of coal prior to combustion in order to obtain optimal boiler control. In this work, a fully software-controlled laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system comprising a LIBS apparatus and sampling equipment has been designed for possible application to power plants for on-line quality analysis of pulverized coal. Special attention was given to the LIBS system, the data processing methods (especially the normalization with Bode Rule/DC Level) and the specific settings (the software-controlled triggering source, high-pressure gas cleaning device, sample-preparation module, sampling module, etc.), which gave the best direct measurement for C, H, Si, Na, Mg, Fe, Al, and Ti with measurement errors less than 10% for pulverized coal. Therefore, the apparatus is accurate enough to be applied to industries for on-line monitoring of pulverized coal. The method of proximate analysis was also introduced and the experimental error of Aad (Ash, ‘ad’ is an abbreviation for ‘air dried’) was shown in the range of 2.29 to 13.47%. The programmable logic controller (PLC) controlled on-line coal sampling equipment, which is designed based upon aerodynamics, and is capable of performing multipoint sampling and sample-preparation operation.

Double acoustic microresonator quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy

Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) based on double acoustic microresonators (AmRs) is developed and experimentally investigated. The double AmR spectrophone configuration exhibits a strong acoustic coupling between the AmR and the quartz tuning fork, which results in a ∼5  ms fast response time. Moreover, the double AmRs provide two independent detection channels that allow optical signal addition or cancellation from different optical wavelengths and facilitate rapid multigas sensing measurements, thereby avoiding laser beam combination.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for determination of the organic oxygen content in anthracite coal under atmospheric conditions

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy has been used to measure the organic oxygen content in pulverized anthracite coal under atmospheric conditions. Special spectral processing including the optimal O(I) emission-line selection by comparing the spectral correlation coefficients with the N(I) line, internal normalization with the N(I) line, and temperature correction are proposed and employed to satisfy the multiline analysis method and yield the most accurate quantitative results. The calibration method for determining the organic oxygen content of coal is presented, with an accuracy of 1.15–1.37% and an average relative error of 19.39% being evaluated through an experiment performed on six anthracite coal samples. The relative measurement error distribution has also been studied.

Nonlinear tunneling of optical similaritons in nonlinear waveguides

We consider the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with variable coefficients that describes beam propagation in inhomogeneous graded-index waveguides. By using the direct transformation of variables and functions, we present the exact general bright and dark spatial self-similar solutions. As an application, we discuss the nonlinear tunneling of optical similaritons. The results show that under an integrable condition, the optical waves can similarly pass through the nonlinear barrier or well, and the interaction between the neighboring waves is elastic collision. Under a nonintegrable condition, when they pass through the nonlinear barrier, the optical beams can effectively be compressed for the relatively small value of height of the nonlinear barrier. However, the beam splits into some filaments when the height of the nonlinear barrier is large enough.

Single-tube on-beam quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy

Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) with a single-tube acoustic microresonator (AmR) inserted between the prongs of a custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) was developed, investigated, and optimized experimentally. Due to the high acoustic coupling efficiency between the AmR and the QTF, the single-tube on-beam QEPAS spectrophone configuration improves the detection sensitivity by 2 orders of magnitude compared to a bare QTF. This approach significantly reduces the spectrophone size with respect to the traditional on-beam spectrophone configuration, thereby facilitating the laser beam alignment. A 1σ normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 1.21×10(-8) cm(-1)·W/√Hz was obtained for dry CO2 detection at normal atmospheric pressure.

Development of an apparatus for on-line analysis of unburned carbon in fly ash using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

The level of unburned carbon in fly ash is an important criteria for evaluating the combustion efficiencies of boilers, as well as the commercial value of the produced fly ash. In this work, an automated prototype laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) apparatus comprising an isokinetic sampler, a sample preparation module, and a LIBS module has been developed for possible application to power plants for on-line analysis of unburned carbon in fly ash without being affected by the type of coal burned. Emphasis is placed on the structure and operation of the LIBS apparatus, the optimum suction capacity selection, the analytical methods for estimation of the exact C line intensity, and the proper calibration model established for minimizing the matrix effects, which enable the minimization of matrix effects and obtaining more accurate compositional measurements. Good agreement has been found between the laboratory measurement results from the LIBS method and those from the traditional method. The measurement accuracy presented here for unburned carbon analysis is estimated to be 0.26%, while the average relative error is 3.81%.

Quantum phases in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array

Circuit QED on a chip has become a powerful platform for simulating complex many-body physics. In this report, we realize a Dicke-Ising model with an antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array. We show that this system exhibits a competition between the collective spin-photon interaction and the antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction, and then predict four quantum phases, including: a paramagnetic normal phase, an antiferromagnetic normal phase, a paramagnetic superradiant phase, and an antiferromagnetic superradiant phase. The antiferromagnetic normal phase and the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase are new phases in many-body quantum optics. In the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase, both the antiferromagnetic and superradiant orders can coexist, and thus the system possesses symmetry. Moreover, we find an unconventional photon signature in this phase. In future experiments, these predicted quantum phases could be distinguished by detecting both the mean-photon number and the magnetization.

Absolute frequency stabilization of a diode laser to cesium atom-molecular hyperfine transitions via modulating molecules

We have demonstrated a robust method of directly stabilizing diode laser frequency to the cesium atom-molecular hyperfine transitions. The trap loss fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to yield the error signal based on modulating molecules with ultralow modulation frequency of 1.2Hz. The excursions over 300s of the frequency of the laser were bounded by 1.5MHz. The root of Allan variance of the error signals reached a minimum of 4.8×10−11 for an averaging time of 100s.