Single-photon emission via Raman scattering from the levels with partially resolved hyperfine structure

The probability of emission of a single photon via Raman scattering of laser pulse on the three-level $\Lambda$ - type atom in microcavity is studied. The duration of the pulse is considered to be short enough, so that the hyperfine structure of the upper level remains totally unresolved, while that of the lower level is totally resolved. The coherent laser pulse is assumed to be in resonance with the transition between one hyperfine structure component of the lower atomic level and all hyperfine structure components of the upper level, while the quantized cavity field is assumed to be in resonance with the transition between the other hyperfine structure component of the lower level and all components of the upper one. The dependence of the photon emission probability on the mutual orientation of polarization vectors of the cavity mode and of the coherent laser pulse is analyzed. Particularly, the case is investigated, when the total electronic angular momentum of the lower atomic level equals 1/2, which is true for the ground states of alkali atoms employed in the experiments on deterministic single photon emission. It is shown, that in this case the probability of photon emission equals zero for collinear polarizations of the photon and of the laser pulse, and the probability obtains its maximum value, when the angle between their polarizations equals 60 degrees.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Experimental investigation of amplitude and phase quantum correlations in a type II OPO above threshold: from the non-degenerate to the degenerate operation

We describe a very stable type II optical parametric oscillator operated above threshold which provides 9.7 $\pm$ 0.5 dB (89%) of quantum noise reduction on the intensity difference of the signal and idler modes. We also report the first experimental study by homodyne detection of the generated bright two-mode state in the case of frequency degenerate operation obtained by introducing a birefringent plate inside the optical cavity

Remote preparation of continuous-variable qubits using loss-tolerant hybrid entanglement of light

Transferring quantum information between distant nodes of a network is a key capability. This transfer can be realized via remote state preparation where two parties share entanglement and the sender has full knowledge of the state to be communicated. Here we demonstrate such a process between heterogeneous nodes functioning with different information encodings, i.e., particle-like discrete-variable optical qubits and wave-like continuous-variable ones. Using hybrid entanglement of light as a shared resource, we prepare arbitrary coherent-state superpositions controlled by measurements on the distant discrete-encoded node. The remotely prepared states are fully characterized by quantum state tomography and negative Wigner functions are obtained. This work demonstrates a novel capability to bridge discrete- and continuous-variable platforms

Slowing Quantum Decoherence by Squeezing in Phase Space

Non-Gaussian states, and specifically the paradigmatic Schr\"odinger cat state, are well-known to be very sensitive to losses. When propagating through damping channels, these states quickly loose their non-classical features and the associated negative oscillations of their Wigner function. However, by squeezing the superposition states, the decoherence process can be qualitatively changed and substantially slowed down. Here, as a first example, we experimentally observe the reduced decoherence of squeezed optical coherent-state superpositions through a lossy channel. To quantify the robustness of states, we introduce a combination of a decaying value and a rate-of-decay of the Wigner function negativity. This work, which uses squeezing as an ancillary Gaussian resource, opens new possibilities to protect and manipulate quantum superpositions in phase space

Storage and retrieval of vector beams of light in a multiple-degree-of-freedom quantum memory

The full structuration of light in the transverse plane, including intensity, phase and polarization, holds the promise of unprecedented capabilities for applications in classical optics as well as in quantum optics and information sciences. Harnessing special topologies can lead to enhanced focusing, data multiplexing or advanced sensing and metrology. Here we experimentally demonstrate the storage of such spatio-polarization-patterned beams into an optical memory. A set of vectorial vortex modes is generated via liquid crystal cell with topological charge in the optic axis distribution, and preservation of the phase and polarization singularities is demonstrated after retrieval, at the single-photon level. The realized multiple-degree-of-freedom memory can find applications in classical data processing but also in quantum network scenarios where structured states have been shown to provide promising attributes, such as rotational invariance

Reversible Quantum Interface for Tunable Single-sideband Modulation

Using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) in a Cesium vapor, we demonstrate experimentally that the quantum state of a light beam can be mapped into the long lived Zeeman coherences of an atomic ground state. Two non-commuting variables carried by light are simultaneously stored and subsequentely read-out, with no noise added. We compare the case where a tunable single sideband is stored independently of the other one to the case where the two symmetrical sidebands are stored using the same EIT transparency window.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Demonstration of a memory for tightly guided light in an optical nanofiber

We report the experimental observation of slow-light and coherent storage in a setting where light is tightly confined in the transverse directions. By interfacing a tapered optical nanofiber with a cold atomic ensemble, electromagnetically induced transparency is observed and light pulses at the single-photon level are stored in and retrieved from the atomic medium with an overall efficiency of (10 +/- 0.5) %. Collapses and revivals can be additionally controlled by an applied magnetic field. Our results based on subdiffraction-limited optical mode interacting with atoms via the strong evanescent field demonstrate an alternative to free-space focusing and a novel capability for information storage in an all-fibered quantum network