Search

Traditional ghost imaging requires correlated but spatially separated photons and has been observed in many physical situations, spanning both the quantum and classical regimes. Here we observe ghost imaging in a new system—a system based on entanglement swapping, the key feature of a quantum network. We detail how the exact form of quantum interference between independent photons dictates the precise nature of the ghost imaging, for example, for an anti-symmetric projection, the recorded image is the contrast-reversed version of the object—where the object is bright, the image is dark, and vice versa. The results highlight the importance of state projection in this ghost-imaging process and provide a pathway for the teleportation of two-dimensional spatial states across a quantum network. Our results also indicate that ghost images with new image properties could be achieved in conventional settings through a variety of new signal processing procedures.

Since its first demonstration in 1995, ghost imaging has provided amazing insights into both classical and quantum physics as well as having found application in, for example, microscopy and imaging under low light conditions. Traditional ghost imaging uses correlations between two photons to reconstruct an image of an object from two systems which each individually know nothing about the object. In the quantum case, the state of the two photons is typically a symmetric, entangled state. Here we investigate the effect that changing the two-photon state's symmetry has on the reconstructed object, by using Dove prisms and a Hong-Ou-Mandel filter. Interestingly, it appears that post-selecting on the anti-symmetric Bell state results in a `double image': a juxtaposition of the original image rotated both clockwise and anti-clockwise. Furthermore, we consider a 4-photon experiment in which two photons, which originate from different entanglement sources and are hence completely independent initially, acquire correlations by way of entanglement swapping via appropriate post-selection on the remaining two photons. In such a setup, post-selecting on the symmetric Bell states results in the original object, but post-selecting on the anti-symmetric Bell state results in a contrast-reversed image of the object. These studies highlight the fundamental importance that state symmetry plays in quantum imaging.

A simple approach to preparing high-dimensional entangled states by quantum interference., Many protocols in quantum science, for example, linear optical quantum computing, require access to large-scale entangled quantum states. Such systems can be realized through many-particle qubits, but this approach often suffers from scalability problems. An alternative strategy is to consider a lesser number of particles that exist in high-dimensional states. The spatial modes of light are one such candidate that provides access to high-dimensional quantum states, and thus they increase the storage and processing potential of quantum information systems. We demonstrate the controlled engineering of two-photon high-dimensional states entangled in their orbital angular momentum through Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. We prepare a large range of high-dimensional entangled states and implement precise quantum state filtering. We characterize the full quantum state before and after the filter, and are thus able to determine that only the antisymmetric component of the initial state remains. This work paves the way for high-dimensional processing and communication of multiphoton quantum states, for example, in teleportation beyond qubits.

The controlled generation of entangled states and their subsequent detection are integral aspects of quantum information science. In this Letter, we implement a simple and precise technique that produces any of the four Bell states in the orbital angular momentum degree of freedom. We then use these states to perform the first experimental demonstration of an accessible nonlinear entanglement witness. Such a witness determines entanglement by using the same measurements as required for a linear witness but can detect, in this case, twice as many states as a single linear witness can. We anticipate that our method of state preparation and nonlinear witnesses will have further uses in areas of quantum science, such as superdense coding and quantum key distribution.

We produce all four Bell states in the orbital angular momentum degree of freedom and use a new class of accessible nonlinear entanglement witnesses to verify their entanglement.

Using an electron multiplying CCD camera we observe both image plane (position) and far field (momentum) correlations between photon pairs produced from spontaneous parametric down-conversion when using a 201 x 201 bi-dimensional array of pixels and a flux of around 0.02 photons/pixel. After background subtraction we characterize the strength of signal and idler correlations in both transverse dimensions by applying entanglement and EPR criteria, showing good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The application of such devices in quantum optics could have a wide range, including quantum computation with spatial degrees of freedom of single photons.

The light produced by parametric down-conversion shows strong spatial entanglement that leads to violations of EPR criteria for separability. Historically, such studies have been performed by scanning a single-element, single-photon detector across a detection plane. Here we show that modern electron-multiplying charge-coupled device cameras can measure correlations in both position and momentum across a multi-pixel field of view. This capability allows us to observe entanglement of around 2,500 spatial states and demonstrate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen type correlations by more than two orders of magnitude. More generally, our work shows that cameras can lead to important new capabilities in quantum optics and quantum information science., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Entanglement witnesses provide an efficient means of determining the level of entanglement of a system using the minimum number of measurements. Here we demonstrate the observation of two-dimensional entanglement witnesses in the high-dimensional basis of orbital angular momentum (OAM). In this case, the number of potentially entangled subspaces scales as d(d − 1)/2, where d is the dimension of the space. The choice of OAM as a basis is relevant as each subspace is not necessarily maximally entangled, thus providing the necessary state for certain tests of nonlocality. The expectation value of the witness gives an estimate of the state of each two-dimensional subspace belonging to the d-dimensional Hilbert space. These measurements demonstrate the degree of entanglement and therefore the suitability of the resulting subspaces for quantum information applications.

Systems entangled in high dimensions have recently been proposed as important tools for various quantum information protocols, such as multibit quantum key distribution and loophole-free tests of nonlocality. It is thereforeimportanttohavepreciseknowledgeofthenatureofsuchentangledquantumstates.Wetomographically reconstruct the quantum state of the two photons produced by parametric downconversion that are entangled in a d-dimensional orbital angular momentum basis. We determine exactly the density matrix of the entangled two-qudit state with d ranging from 2 to 8. The recording of higher-dimensional states is limited only by the number of data points required and therefore the length of time needed to complete the measurements. We find all the measured states to have fidelities and linear entropies that satisfy the criteria required for a violation of the appropriate high-dimensional Bell inequality. Our results therefore precisely characterize the nature of the entanglement, thus establishing the suitability of such states for applications in quantum information science.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) entanglement is investigated in the Bessel-Gaussian (BG) basis. Having a readily adjustable radial scale, BG modes provide an alternative basis for OAM entanglement over Laguerre-Gaussian modes. We show that the OAM bandwidth in terms of BG modes can be increased by selection of particular radial wavevectors and leads to a flattening of the spectrum, which allows for higher dimensionality in the entangled state. We demonstrate entanglement in terms of BG modes by performing a Bell-type experiment and showing a violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality for the ℓ = ±1 subspace. In addition, we use quantum state tomography to indicate higher-dimensional entanglement in terms of BG modes.