Dipole lasing phase transitions in media with singularities in polarizabilities

We show that a divergence in the optical polarizability of a heterogeneous medium with nonlinear amplification and a strong dipole-dipole interaction between particles can lead to a phase transition, for which the dipole momentum of the particles or the dipole radiation rate can be taken as order parameters. The "dipole laser" (Phys. Rev. A 71, 063812 (2005)) can be used both as a simple example of such a second-order phase transition and to provide a recipe for its analysis. We show that similar phase transitions may be possible for a nanoparticle on the surface of an optically active medium and at the "Clausius-Mossotti" catastrophe in a bulk heterogeneous medium

Quantum Noise Limits for Nonlinear, Phase-Invariant Amplifiers

Any quantum device that amplifies coherent states of a field while preserving their phase generates noise. A nonlinear, phase-invariant amplifier may generate less noise, over a range of input field strengths, than any linear amplifier with the same amplification. We present explicit examples of such nonlinear amplifiers, and derive lower bounds on the noise generated by a nonlinear, phase-invariant quantum amplifier.Comment: RevTeX, 6 pages + 4 figures (included in file; hard copy sent on request

Conditional quantum logic using two atomic qubits

In this paper we propose and analyze a feasible scheme where the detection of a single scattered photon from two trapped atoms or ions performs a conditional unitary operation on two qubits. As examples we consider the preparation of all four Bell states, the reverse operation that is a Bell measurement, and a CNOT gate. We study the effect of atomic motion and multiple scattering, by evaluating Bell inequalities violations, and by calculating the CNOT gate fidelity.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures in 11 file

Dipole nanolaser

A "dipole" laser is proposed consisting of a nanoparticle and a two-level system with population inversion. If the threshold conditions are fulfilled, the dipole interaction between the two-level system and the nanoparticle leads to coherent oscillations in the polarization of the particles, even in the absence of an external electromagnetic field. The emitted radiation has a dipolar distribution. It does not need an optical cavity, and has a very small volume, 0.1 mu m(3), which can be important for applications in microelectronics. Estimates of the threshold conditions are carried out for a dipole laser composed of a quantum dot and a silver nanoparticle

Zeros of Rydberg-Rydberg Foster Interactions

Rydberg states of atoms are of great current interest for quantum manipulation of mesoscopic samples of atoms. Long-range Rydberg-Rydberg interactions can inhibit multiple excitations of atoms under the appropriate conditions. These interactions are strongest when resonant collisional processes give rise to long-range C_3/R^3 interactions. We show in this paper that even under resonant conditions C_3 often vanishes so that care is required to realize full dipole blockade in micron-sized atom samples.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to J. Phys.

Photon polarisation entanglement from distant dipole sources

It is commonly believed that photon polarisation entanglement can only be obtained via pair creation within the same source or via postselective measurements on photons that overlapped within their coherence time inside a linear optics setup. In contrast to this, we show here that polarisation entanglement can also be produced by distant single photon sources in free space and without the photons ever having to meet, if the detection of a photon does not reveal its origin -- the which way information. In the case of two sources, the entanglement arises under the condition of two emissions in certain spatial directions and leaves the dipoles in a maximally entangled state.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, revised version, accepted for publication in J. Phys.

Broadening of Plasmonic Resonance Due to Electron Collisions with Nanoparticle Boundary: а Quantum Mechanical Consideration

We present a quantum mechanical approach to calculate broadening of plasmonic resonances in metallic nanostructures due to collisions of electrons with the surface of the structure. The approach is applicable if the characteristic size of the structure is much larger than the de Broglie electron wavelength in the metal. The approach can be used in studies of plasmonic properties of both single nanoparticles and arrays of nanoparticles.Comment: 9 page

Quantum computing in optical microtraps based on the motional states of neutral atoms

We investigate quantum computation with neutral atoms in optical microtraps where the qubit is implemented in the motional states of the atoms, i.e., in the two lowest vibrational states of each trap. The quantum gate operation is performed by adiabatically approaching two traps and allowing tunneling and cold collisions to take place. We demonstrate the capability of this scheme to realize a square-root of swap gate, and address the problem of double occupation and excitation to other unwanted states. We expand the two-particle wavefunction in an orthonormal basis and analyze quantum correlations throughout the whole gate process. Fidelity of the gate operation is evaluated as a function of the degree of adiabaticity in moving the traps. Simulations are based on rubidium atoms in state-of-the-art optical microtraps with quantum gate realizations in the few tens of milliseconds duration range.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, for animations of the gate operation, see http://www.itp.uni-hannover.de/~eckert/na/index.htm