Progress in Quantum Electronics最新文献

Mechanical systems prepared in quantum non-Gaussian states constitute a new advanced class of phenomena breaking the laws of classical physics. Specifically, such mechanical states cannot be described as any mixture of the Gaussian states produced by operations described by Hamiltonians at most quadratic in position and momentum, such as phase rotations, squeezing operations and linear driving. Therefore, they form a class of resourceful states for quantum technological tasks such as metrology, sensing, simulation and computation. Quantum opto- and electromechanics are advanced platforms for quantum mechanical experiments with broad applications offering various methods for preparing such mechanical quantum non-Gaussian states. The suitability of these platforms as transducers additionally allows the integration of such mechanical states into a variety of other related platforms. Here, we summarize the current techniques for creating these states, emphasizing those that have had experimental success and looking to methods that show promise for future experiments. By collating these results, we expect to stimulate new ideas for non-Gaussian state preparation in these fields, resulting in the realization of further experiments. Moreover, we provide concise and clear explanations of the milestones of research in the quantum non-Gaussianity of mechanical states and its implementation and verification in a laboratory setting.

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetism in van der Waals (vdW) atomic crystals and moiré superlattices has emerged as a topic of tremendous interest in the fields of condensed matter physics and materials science within the past half-decade since its first experimental discovery in 2016–2017. It has not only served as a powerful platform for investigating phase transitions in the 2D limit and exploring new phases of matter, but also provided new opportunities for applications in microelectronics, spintronics, magnonics, optomagnetics, and so on. Despite the flourish developments in 2D magnetism over this short period of time, further efforts are welcome in multiple forefronts of 2D magnetism research for achieving the ultimate goal of routinely implementing 2D magnets as quantum electronic components. In this review article, we will start with basic concepts and properties of 2D magnetism, followed by a brief overview of historical efforts in 2D magnetism research and then a comprehensive review of vdW material-based 2D magnetism. We will conclude with discussions on potential future research directions for this growing field of 2D vdW magnetism.

The photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE), as an exotic analogy to the spin Hall effect in electronics, is induced by the spin-orbit interaction of light and manifests itself as a spin-related splitting of left- and right-handed circularly polarized beams. Recently, the PSHE has been revealed and explored in a wide range of fields such as optical interfaces, metasurfaces/metamaterials, near-field optics, topological and disordered systems, as well as non-Hermitian photonics. Significantly, the PSHE provides the unique spin degrees of freedom to flexibly control light, which has enabled tremendous applications in precise metrology, spin-based nanophotonic devices, and mathematical operations, to name only a few. Also, new methods to manipulate and enhance this effect have been actively pursued. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the key aspects in the PSHE, especially the underlying physics, new techniques of manipulations, and emerging applications. Our review can not only help new researchers of this field in a timely manner but also inspire more efforts in making and engineering PSHE-based devices in coming years.

Optical coherence is a fundamental characteristic of light that plays a significant role in understanding interference, propagation, light–matter interaction, and other fundamental aspects of classical and quantum wave fields. The study of optical coherence has led to a wide range of applications, including optical coherence tomography, ghost imaging, and free-space optical communications. In recent years, the complex spatial structure of optical coherence embedded in partially coherent light beams has garnered increasing attention due to the novel physical effects it induces, such as self-shaping, self-focusing, and self-splitting of beams in free space. Partially coherent light beams with non-classical spatial coherence structures have found use in many innovative applications, including overcoming the classical Rayleigh diffraction limit in optical imaging, reducing the side effects of atmospheric turbulence in free-space optical communications, coherence-based optical encryption, and robust optical signal transmission. In this article, we present a systematic review of the manipulation and measurement of the spatial coherence structure of optical beams, their propagation and light–matter interaction, as well as the applications of partially coherent light beams with structured optical coherence. We begin with the representation of the cross-spectral density function for a partially coherent light beam using Gori’s nonnegative definite condition and Wolf’s coherent-mode decomposition theory. We then discuss in detail two different strategies for experimentally manipulating the spatial coherence structure, one based on the generalized van Cittert–Zernike theorem and the other on the coherent-mode decomposition theory. Next, we provide an overview of recent progress in measuring the complex spatial coherence structure of partially coherent light beams using methods based on self-referencing holography, generalized Hanbury Brown and Twiss experiment, and incoherent modal decomposition. We study the novel physical properties of partially coherent light beams with non-conventional spatial coherence structures during their propagation in free space and through a highly focused system, as well as their interaction with atmospheric turbulence. We also discuss the effect of structured optical coherence in reducing the negative effects of atmospheric turbulence. Finally, we present the applications of spatial coherence structure engineering in optical imaging, optical encryption, robust information transmission through complex media, particle trapping, refractive index measurement, beam shaping, and ultrahigh precision angular velocity measurement. Optical coherence structure not only provides a new degree of freedom for light manipulation but also offers an effective tool for novel light applications.

This paper reviews the progress that has been made in our knowledge of quantum correlations at the mesoscopic and macroscopic level. We begin by summarizing the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) argument and the Bell correlations that cannot be explained by local hidden variable theories. It was originally an open question as to whether (and how) such quantum correlations could occur on a macroscopic scale, since this would seem to contradict the correspondence principle. The purpose of this review is to examine how this question has been answered over the decades since the original papers of EPR and Bell. We first review work relating to higher spin measurements which revealed that macroscopic quantum states could exhibit Bell correlations. This covers higher dimensional, multiparticle and continuous-variable EPR and Bell states where measurements on a single system give a spectrum of outcomes, and also multipartite states where measurements are made at multiple separated sites. It appeared that the macroscopic quantum observations were for an increasingly limited span of measurement settings and required a fine resolution of outcomes. Motivated by this, we next review correlations for macroscopic superposition states, and examine predictions for the violation of Leggett-Garg inequalities using dynamical quantum systems. These results reveal Bell correlations for coarse-grained measurements which need only distinguish between macroscopically distinct states, thus bringing into question the validity of certain forms of macroscopic realism. Finally, we review progress for massive systems, including Bose-Einstein condensates and optomechanical oscillators, where EPR-type correlations have been observed between massive systems. Experiments are summarized which support the predictions of quantum mechanics in mesoscopic regimes.

Nanophotonic devices, such as metasurfaces and silicon photonic components, have been progressively demonstrated to be efficient and versatile alternatives to their bulky counterparts, enabling compact and light-weight systems for the application of imaging, sensing, communication and computing. The tremendous advances in machine learning provide new design methods, metrology and functionalities for nanophotonic devices and systems. Specifically, machine learning has fundamentally changed automatic design, measurement and result processing of highly application-specific nanophotonic systems without the need of extensive expert experience. This trend can be well described by the popular concept of “software-defined” infrastructure in information technology, which can decouple specific hardware from end users by virtualizing physical components using software interfaces, making the entire system faster, more flexible and more scalable. In this review, we introduce the concept of software-defined nanophotonics and summarize the interdisciplinary research that bridges nanophotonics and intelligence algorithms, especially machine learning algorithms, in the device design, measurement and system setup. The review is organized in an application-oriented manner, showing how the software-defined scheme is utilized in solving both forward and inverse problems for various nanophotonic devices and systems.

We propose metasurface holograms as a novel platform to generate optical trap arrays for cold atoms with high quality, efficiency, and thermal stability. We developed design and fabrication methods to create dielectric, phase-only metasurface holograms based on titanium dioxide. We experimentally demonstrated optical trap arrays of various geometries, including periodic and aperiodic configurations with dimensions ranging from 1D to 3D and up to a few hundred trap sites. We characterized the performance of the holographic metasurfaces in terms of the positioning accuracy, size and intensity uniformity of the generated traps, and power handling capability of the dielectric metasurfaces. Our proposed platform has great potential for enabling fundamental studies of quantum many-body physics, and quantum simulation and computation tasks. The compact form factor, passive nature, good power handling capability, and scalability of generating high-quality, large-scale arrays also make the metasurface platform uniquely suitable for realizing field-deployable devices and systems based on cold atoms.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is an important feature of structured electromagnetic fields exhibiting non-uniform spatial distribution. In contrast to a spin angular momentum (SAM) reflecting angular rotation of a polarization vector, OAM is the quantity that expresses the amount of dynamical rotation of a wavefront about an optical axis. In 1992 it was demonstrated that such rotation can be transferred to the microscale objects, initiating a novel research direction related to the OAM–light–matter interaction and opening the pathways for new technologies widely applied in physics, chemistry and biology. This review surveys recent progress in the field of interaction between singular optical radiation and matter covering such rapidly evolving application areas as laser material processing, optical tweezers, control of chirality of matter, and OAM-empowered linear and nonlinear effects — Raman scattering as well as Doppler, Faraday and Hall effects. OAM transfer at the atomic scale is also highlighted revealing the remarkable opportunities to modify the physics of ultrahigh-intense laser–plasma interaction. Finally, the so-called spatiotemporal optical vortices, optical vortices with phase and energy circulation in a spatiotemporal plane with a controllable purely transverse OAM, were discussed in terms of their great potential for new applications that would otherwise be impossible.

Edge-emitting mode-locked quantum-dot (QD) lasers are compact, highly efficient sources for the generation of picosecond and femtosecond pulses and/or broad frequency combs. They provide direct electrical control and footprints down to few millimeters. Their broad gain bandwidths (up to 50 nm for ground to ground state transitions as discussed below, with potential for increase to more than >200 nm by overlapping ground and excited state band transitions) allow for wavelength-tuning and generation of pico- and femtosecond laser pulses over a broad wavelength range. In the last two decades, mode-locked QD laser have become promising tools for low-power applications in ultrafast photonics. In this article, we review the development and the state-of-the-art of edge-emitting mode-locked QD lasers. We start with a brief introduction on QD active media and their uses in lasers, amplifiers, and saturable absorbers. We further discuss the basic principles of mode-locking in QD lasers, including theory of nonlinear phenomena in QD waveguides, ultrafast carrier dynamics, and mode-locking methods. Different types of mode-locked QD laser systems, such as monolithic one- and two-section devices, external-cavity setups, two-wavelength operation, and master-oscillator power-amplifier systems, are discussed and compared. After presenting the recent trends and results in the field of mode-locked QD lasers, we briefly discuss the application areas.