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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Intensified Tpx3Cam, a fast data-driven optical camera with nanosecond timing resolution for single photon detection in quantum applications

Here we describe a fast data-driven optical camera, Tpx3Cam, with nanosecond scale timing resolution and 80 Mpixel/sec throughput. After the addition of intensifier, the camera is single photon sensitive with quantum efficiency determined primarily by the intensifier photocathode. The single photon performance of the camera was characterized with results on the gain, timing resolution and afterpulsing reported here. The intensified camera was successfully used for measurements in a variety of applications including quantum applications. As an example of such application, which requires simultaneous detection of multiple photons, we describe registration of photon pairs from the spontaneous parametric down-conversion source in a spectrometer. We measured the photon wavelength and timing with respective precisions of 0.15 nm and 3 ns, and also demonstrated that the two photons are anti-correlated in energy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Space-Time Quantum Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces have recently entered the realm of quantum photonics, enabling manipulation of quantum light using a compact nanophotonic platform. Realizing the full potential of metasurfaces at the deepest quantum level requires the ability to tune coherent light-matter interactions continuously in space and time. Here, we introduce the concept of space-time quantum metasurfaces for arbitrary control of the spectral, spatial, and spin properties of nonclassical light using a compact photonic platform. We show that space-time quantum metasurfaces allow on-demand tailoring of entanglement among all degrees of freedom of a single photon. We also show that spatiotemporal modulation induces asymmetry at the fundamental level of quantum fluctuations, resulting in the generation of steered and vortex photon pairs out of vacuum. Space-time quantum metasurfaces have the potential to enable novel photonic functionalities, such as encoding quantum information into high-dimensional color qudits using designer modulation protocols, sculpting multispectral and multispatial modes in spontaneous emission, and generating reconfigurable hyperentanglement for high-capacity quantum communications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lifetime-resolved photon-correlation Fourier spectroscopy

The excited state population of single solid-state emitters is subjected to energy fluctuations around the equilibrium driven by the bath and relaxation through the emission of phonons or photons. Simultaneous measurement of the associated spectral dynamics requires a technique with a high spectral and temporal resolution with an additionally high temporal dynamic range. We propose a pulsed excitation-laser analog of photon-correlation Fourier spectroscopy (PCFS), which extracts the linewidth and spectral diffusion dynamics along the emission lifetime trajectory of the emitter, effectively discriminating spectral dynamics from relaxation and bath fluctuations . This lifetime-resolved PCFS correlates photon-pairs at the output arm of a Michelson interferometer in both their time-delay between laser-excitation and photon-detection T and the time-delay between two photons τ . We propose the utility of the technique for systems with changing relative contributions to the emission from multiple states, for example, quantum emitters exhibiting phonon-mediated exchange between different fine-structure states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum Entanglement between Optical and Microwave Photonic Qubits

Entanglement is an extraordinary feature of quantum mechanics. Sources of entangled optical photons were essential to test the foundations of quantum physics through violations of Bell’s inequalities. More recently, entangled many-body states have been realized via strong nonlinear interactions in microwave circuits with superconducting qubits. Here, we demonstrate a chip-scale source of entangled optical and microwave photonic qubits. Our device platform integrates a piezo-optomechanical transducer with a superconducting resonator which is robust under optical illumination. We drive a photon-pair generation process and employ a dual-rail encoding intrinsic to our system to prepare entangled states of microwave and optical photons. We place a lower bound on the fidelity of the entangled state by measuring microwave and optical photons in two orthogonal bases. This entanglement source can directly interface telecom wavelength time-bin qubits and gigahertz frequency superconducting qubits, two well-established platforms for quantum communication and computation, respectively. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Entangled Photon Correlations Allow a Continuous-Wave Laser Diode to Measure Single-Photon, Time-Resolved Fluorescence

Fluorescence lifetime experiments are a standard approach for measuring excited state dynamics and local environment effects. Here, we show that entangled photon pairs produced from a continuous-wave (CW) laser diode can replicate pulsed laser experiments without phase modulation. As a proof of principle, picosecond fluorescence lifetimes of indocyanine green are measured in multiple environments. Here, the use of entangled photons has three unique advantages. First, low power CW laser diodes and entangled photon source design lead to straightforward on-chip integration for a direct path to distributable fluorescence lifetime measurements. Second, the entangled pair wavelength is easily tuned by temperature or electric field, allowing a single source to cover octave bandwidths. Third, femtosecond temporal resolutions can be reached without requiring major advances in source technology or external phase modulation. Entangled photons could therefore provide increased accessibility to time-resolved fluorescence while also opening new scientific avenues in photosensitive and inherently quantum systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Designing high-power, octave spanning entangled photon sources for quantum spectroscopy

Entangled photon spectroscopy is a nascent field that has important implications for measurement and imaging across chemical, biology, and materials fields. Entangled photon spectroscopy potentially offers improved spatial and temporal-frequency resolutions, increased cross sections for multiphoton and nonlinear measurements, and new abilities in inducing or measuring quantum correlations. A critical step in enabling entangled photon spectroscopies is the creation of high-flux entangled sources that can use conventional detectors as well as provide redundancy for the losses in realistic samples. Here, we report a periodically poled, chirped, lithium tantalate platform that generates entangled photon pairs with ~10 -7 efficiency. For a near watt level diode laser, this results in a near μW-level flux. The single photon per mode limit that is necessary to maintain non-classical photon behavior is still satisfied by distributing this power over up to an octave-spanning bandwidth. The spectral–temporal photon correlations are observed via a Michelson-type interferometer that measures the broadband Hong–Ou–Mandel two-photon interference. A coherence time of 245 fs for a 10 nm bandwidth in the collinear case and a coherence time of 62 fs for a 125 nm bandwidth in the non-collinear case are measured using a CW pump laser and, essentially, collecting the full photon cone. We outline in detail the numerical methods used for designing and tailoring the entangled photons source, such as changing center wavelength or bandwidth, with the ultimate aim of increasing the availability of high-flux UV–Vis entangled photon sources in the optical spectroscopy community.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Counting of Hong-Ou-Mandel Bunched Optical Photons Using a Fast Pixel Camera

The uses of a silicon-pixel camera with very good time resolution (∼nanosecond) for detecting multiple, bunched optical photons is explored. We present characteristics of the camera and describe experiments proving its counting capabilities. We use a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source to generate correlated photon pairs, and exploit the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference effect in a fiber-coupled beam splitter to bunch the pair onto the same output fiber. It is shown that the time and spatial resolution of the camera enables independent detection of two photons emerging simultaneously from a single spatial mode.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum-enhanced Imaging and Spectroscopy and their Relevance to International Safeguards

As a follow-up to our previous report on quantum sensing for safeguards, here we delve deeper into quantum-enhanced imaging & spectroscopy and address their relevance to international safeguards. Much of the approaches rely on entangled photons, a quantum phenomenon not possible with classical physics, although just correlated photons will work for some applications, such as ghost imaging. We provide a comprehensive survey of quantum approaches, including multiple entangled photon ghost imaging and spectroscopy techniques. Entangled photons for noise reduction are also described, as well as Non-Line-Of-Sight imaging, compressive techniques, and squeezed light. Of particular interest is the generation of entangled photons with large wavelength separation, such as infrared/visible entangled photon pairs. Such entangled pairs would allow interaction with objects in the IR, such as in the molecular “fingerprint” wavelength region, while the recording device captures the visible photons, thus leveraging the high efficiency and lower cost of visible detectors. Unfortunately, entangled x-ray photons are not practical, which would have been useful for safeguards to interrogate shielded materials. Entangled gamma rays are even further beyond reason. We provide our assessment for application of quantum-enhanced imaging & spectroscopy for international safeguards, including suggested improvements to existing IAEA instruments and destructive assay measurements that are done at IAEA lab facilities.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Novel In-situ Patterning Technique to Fabricate Single Quantum Dots for Quantum Photonics

Photon sources able to emit single or entangled photon pairs are key components in quantum information systems. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates due to their high efficiencies and ease of integration with other photonic or electronic components. State-of-the-art QDs, however, are limited to certain emission wavelengths and specific applications due to material choice constraints and their randomness in shape/size. This project is focused on developing a novel in-situ patterning technique to realize QDs with a broad emission range, shape/size control and the ability to emit single/entangled photons. Our approach has two key elements: (1) In-situ patterning via arsenic-induced nanovoid etching on antimonide surfaces and (2) In-filling of nanovoids to form QDs. By closely controlling the experimental conditions, it is shown that this technique can be used to realize III-V QDs in As 2 - etched nanovoids on a GaSb surface. The exposure to As 2 in terms of substrate temperature, time and flux is found to have a significant impact on the process variables such as nanovoid depth, QD dimensions etc. An in-depth analysis of the etch mechanism reveals that by controlling the As 2 exposure, uniform 3-dimensional nanostructures with varying areal densities can be obtained without an in-filling step. Preliminary optical characterization of these nanostructures shows that these QDs may be relevant for realizing emitters in the telecom wavelength range.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Optimal filtering and generation of entangled photons for quantum applications in the presence of noise

Filtering is commonly used in quantum optics to reject noise photons, and also to enable interference between independent photons. However, filtering the joint spectrum of photon pairs can reduce the inherent coincidence probability or loss-independent heralding efficiency. Here we investigate filtering for multiphoton applications based on entanglement and interference (e.g., quantum teleportation). We multiplex C-band entangled photons and C-band classical communications into the same long-distance fibers, which enables scalable low-loss quantum networking but requires filtering of spontaneous Raman scattering noise from classical light. Using tunable-bandwidth filters, low-jitter detectors, and polarization filters, we distribute wavelength-degenerate time-bin entangled photons in the C band (1536.5 nm) over 25 km/25 km standard fibers (50 km) each carrying 10 Gbit/s C-band classical data signals. Narrow filtering enables milliwatt-level C-band power, which exceeds the power achieved by comparable studies by roughly an order of magnitude and could feasibly support terabit per second classical rates. We evaluate how performance depends on pump and filter bandwidths, multipair emission, filter shapes, loss, phase matching, and how quantum information is measured. We find a trade-off between reducing noise impact and increasing single-mode purity, and discuss mitigation methods toward optimal multiphoton applications. Importantly, these results apply to noise in free space and in quantum devices (sources, frequency converters, switches, detectors, etc.) and provide insight into filter-induced degradation of single-photon purity and rates even in noise-free environments.

Thomas, Jordan M. [Fermilab; Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Photoelectron spectroscopy with entangled photons; enhanced spectrotemporal resolution

In this theoretical study, we show how photoelectron signals generated by time-energy entangled photon pairs can monitor ultrafast excited state dynamics of molecules with high joint spectral and temporal resolutions, not limited by the Fourier uncertainty of classical light. This technique scales linearly, rather than quadratically, with the pump intensity, allowing the study of fragile biological samples with low photon fluxes. Since the spectral resolution is achieved by electron detection and the temporal resolution by a variable phase delay, this technique does not require scanning the pump frequency and the entanglement times, which significantly simplifies the experimental setup, making it feasible with current instrumentation. Application is made to the photodissociation dynamics of pyrrole calculated by exact nonadiabatic wave packet simulations in a reduced two nuclear coordinate space. This study demonstrates the unique advantages of ultrafast quantum light spectroscopy.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fast quantum ghost imaging with a single-photon-sensitive time-stamping camera

Quantum ghost imaging (QGI) leverages correlations between entangled photon pairs to reconstruct an image using light that has never physically interacted with an object. Despite extensive research interest, this technique has long been hindered by slow acquisition speeds, due to the use of raster-scanned detectors or the slow response of intensified cameras. Here, we utilize a single-photon-sensitive time-stamping camera to perform QGI at ultra-low-light levels with rapid data acquisition and processing times, achieving high-resolution and high-contrast images in under 1 min. Our work addresses the trade-off between image quality, optical power, data acquisition time, and data processing time in QGI, paving the way for practical applications in biomedical and quantum-secured imaging.

Mavian, Alex (ORCID:0000000279448830)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of the Higgs boson mass with H → γγ decays in 140 fb –1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

The mass of the Higgs boson is measured in the H→γγ decay channel, exploiting the high resolution of the invariant mass of photon pairs reconstructed from the decays of Higgs bosons produced in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The dataset was collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140 fb –1 . The measured value of the Higgs boson mass is 125.17 ± 0.11(stat.) ± 0.09(syst.) GeV and is based on an improved energy scale calibration for photons, whose impact on the measurement is about four times smaller than in the previous publication. A combination with the corresponding measurement using 7 and 8 TeV pp collision ATLAS data results in a Higgs boson mass measurement of 125.22 ± 0.11(stat.) ± 0.09(syst.) GeV. With an uncertainty of 1.1 per mille, this is currently the most precise measurement of the mass of the Higgs boson from a single decay channel.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fiber loop quantum buffer for photonic qubits

Abstract We report a fiber loop quantum buffer based on a low-loss 2 × 2 switch and a unit delay made of a fiber delay line. We characterize the device by using a two-photon polarization entangled state in which one photon of the entangled photon pair is stored and retrieved at a repetition rate up to 78 kHz. The device, which enables integer multiples of a unit delay, can store the qubit state in a unit of fiber delay line up to 5.4 km and the number of loop round-trips up to 3. Furthermore, we configure the device with other active elements to realize integer multiplier and divider of a unit delay of a qubit. The quantum state tomography is performed on the retrieved photon and its entangled photon. We obtain a state fidelity > 94 % with a maximum storage time of 52 s with an insertion loss of 5.56 dB. To further characterize the storing and retrieving processes of the device, we perform entanglement-assisted quantum process tomography on the buffered qubit state. The process fidelity of the device is > 0.98. Our result implies that the device preserves the superposition and entanglement of a qubit state from a two-photon polarization-entangled state. This is a significant step towards facilitating applications in optical asynchronous transfer mode based quantum networks.

Fook Lee, Kim (ORCID:0000000290901640)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Entanglement of microwave-optical modes in a strongly coupled electro-optomechanical system

Quantum transduction between microwaves and optics can be realized by quantum teleportation if given reliable microwave-optical entanglement, namely, entanglement-based quantum transduction. To realize this protocol, an entangled source with a high fidelity between the two frequencies is necessary. Here, we study microwave and optical entanglement generation based on a generic cavity electro-optomechanical system in the strong coupling regime. Splittings are shown in the microwave and optical output spectra and the frequency entanglement between the two modes is quantified. We show that entanglement can be straightforwardly encoded in the frequency-bin degree of freedom and propose a feasible experiment to verify entangled photon pairs. The experimental implementation is systematically analyzed, and the preferable parameter regime for entanglement verification is identified. An inequality is given as a criterion for good entanglement verification with analysis of practical imperfections.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scalable multiphoton quantum metrology with neither pre- nor post-selected measurements

The quantum statistical fluctuations of electromagnetic fields establish a limit, known as the shot-noise limit, on the sensitivity of optical measurements performed with classical technologies. However, quantum technologies are not constrained by this shot-noise limit. In this regard, the possibility of using every photon produced by quantum sources of light to estimate small physical parameters, beyond the shot-noise limit, constitutes one of the main goals of quantum optics. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a scalable protocol for quantum-enhanced optical phase estimation across a broad range of phases, with neither pre- nor post-selected measurements. This is achieved through the efficient design of a source of spontaneous parametric downconversion in combination with photon-number-resolving detection. The robustness of two-mode squeezed vacuum states against loss allows us to outperform schemes based on N00N states, in which the loss of a single photon is enough to remove all phase information from a quantum state. In contrast to other schemes that rely on N00N states or conditional measurements, the sensitivity of our technique could be improved through the generation and detection of high-order photon pairs. This unique feature of our protocol makes it scalable. Furthermore, our work is important for quantum technologies that rely on multiphoton interference such as quantum imaging, boson sampling, and quantum networks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multivariate discrimination in quantum target detection

In this work, we describe a simple multivariate technique of likelihood ratios for improved discrimination of signal and background in multi-dimensional quantum target detection. Furthermore, the technique combines two independent variables, time difference and summed energy, of a photon pair from the spontaneous parametric down-conversion source into an optimal discriminant. The discriminant performance was studied in experimental data and in Monte-Carlo modelling with clear improvement shown compared to previous techniques. As novel detectors become available, we expect this type of multivariate analysis to become increasingly important in multi-dimensional quantum optics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Outlook for active plasma spectroscopy with entangled two-photon absorption

Entangled two-photon absorption (ETPA) exhibits a quantum-enhanced two-photon absorption cross-section and a linear scaling with incident power that exceeds classical two-photon absorption (TPA) at low photon flux. Here, we assess the feasibility and applications of ETPA for active plasma spectroscopy. The ETPA-absorbed power for an Ar + species in a helicon plasma scenario is calculated to be as high as 0.6 nW cm −1 along the incident beam path for nondegenerate-entangled photon pairs that are near-resonant with an intermediate level. The ETPA absorption power exceeds classical TPA and Bremsstrahlung emission, a necessary condition for a feasible fluorescence measurement. Applications of ETPA plasma spectroscopy may include trace impurity detection, ground-state excitation, and continuous-wave pumping for high-bandwidth turbulence measurements. Possible benefits of plasma measurements are less harm to optical components with lower incident flux and reduced stray light that can contaminate optical diagnostics.

active plasma spectroscopy↗