Harvard University
Department of Physics

 

 

Quantum Optics at Harvard University

Lukin Group

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Research Overview

Our group's research focuses on both the theoretical and experimental studies in quantum optics and atomic physics. The emphasis is on studies of quantum systems consisting of interacting photons, atoms, molecules and electrons coupled to realistic environments.  We are developing new techniques for controlling the quantum dynamics of such systems, and studying fundamental physical phenomena associated with them.  These techniques are used to explore new physics, as well as to facilitate implementation of potential applications in emerging areas such as quantum information science and in more traditional fields such as nonlinear optics. In the course of this work we are also exploring the emerging interfaces between quantum optics and atomic physics on the one hand, and condensed  matter and mesoscopic physics on the other.

 

Research Highlights

Quantum mechanical superexchange interactions form the basis of quantum magnetism in strongly correlated electronic media. We report on the direct measurement of superexchange interactions with ultracold atoms in optical lattices. After preparing a spin-mixture of ultracold atoms in an antiferro- magnetically ordered state, we measure a coherent superexchange-mediated spin dynamics with coupling energies from 5 Hz up to 1 kHz. By dynamically modifying the potential bias between neighboring lattice sites, the magnitude and sign of the superexchange interaction can be controlled, thus allowing the system to be switched between antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic spin interactions. We compare our findings to predictions of a two-site Bose-Hubbard model and find very good agreement, but are also able to identify corrections which can be explained by the inclusion of direct nearest-neighbor interactions.

Control over the interaction between single photons and individual optical emitters is an outstanding problem in quantum science and engineering. It is of interest for ultimate control over light quanta, as well as for potential applications such as efficient photon collection, single-photon switching and transistors, and long-range optical coupling of quantum bits. Recently, substantial advances have been made towards these goals, based on modifying photon fields around an emitter using high-finesse optical cavities. Here we demonstrate a cavity-free, broadband approach for engineering photon–emitter interactions via subwavelength confinement of optical fields near metallic nanostructures. When a single CdSe quantum dot is optically excited in close proximity to a silver nanowire, emission from the quantum dot couples directly to guided surface plasmons in the nanowire, causing the wire's ends to light up. Non-classical photon correlations between the emission from the quantum dot and the ends of the nanowire demonstrate that the latter stems from the generation of single, quantized plasmons. Results from a large number of devices show that efficient coupling is accompanied by more than 2.5-fold enhancement of the quantum dot spontaneous emission, in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Photons rarely interact—which makes it challenging to build all-optical devices in which one light signal controls another. Even in nonlinear optical media, in which two beams can interact because of their influence on the medium's refractive index, this interaction is weak at low light levels. Here, we propose a novel approach to realizing strong nonlinear interactions at the single-photon level, by exploiting the strong coupling between individual optical emitters and propagating surface plasmons confined to a conducting nanowire. We show that this system can act as a nonlinear two-photon switch for incident photons propagating along the nanowire, which can be coherently controlled using conventional quantum-optical techniques. Furthermore, we discuss how the interaction can be tailored to create a single-photon transistor, where the presence (or absence) of a single incident photon in a 'gate' field is sufficient to allow (or prevent) the propagation of subsequent 'signal' photons along the wire.

The key challenge in experimental quantum information science is to identify isolated quantum mechanical systems with long coherence times that can be manipulated and coupled together in a scalable fashion. We describe the coherent manipulation of an individual electron spin and nearby individual nuclear spins to create a controllable quantum register. Using optical and microwave radiation to control an electron spin associated with the nitrogen vacancy (NV) color center in diamond, we demonstrated robust initialization of electron and nuclear spin quantum bits (qubits) and transfer of arbitrary quantum states between them at room temperature. Moreover, nuclear spin qubits could be well isolated from the electron spin, even during optical polarization and measurement of the electronic state. Finally, coherent interactions between individual nuclear spin qubits were observed and their excellent coherence properties were demonstrated. These registers can be used as a basis for scalable, optically coupled quantum information systems.

Understanding and controlling the complex environment of solid-state quantum bits is a central challenge in spintronics and quantum information science. Coherent manipulation of an individual electron spin associated with a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond was used to gain insight into its local environment. We show that this environment is effectively separated into a set of individual, proximal 13C nuclear spins which are coupled coherently to the electron spin, and the remainder of the 13C nuclear spins, which cause the loss of coherence. The proximal nuclear spins can be addressed and coupled individually because of quantum back-action from the electron, which modifies their energy levels and magnetic moments, effectively distinguishing them from the rest of the nuclei. These results open the door to coherent manipulation of individual, isolated nuclear spins in a solid-state environment even at room temperature.

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is a coherent control technique that is widely used for controlling the propagation of classical, multiphoton light pulses in applications such as efficient nonlinear optics. Here we demonstrate the use of EIT for the controllable generation, transmission and storage of single photons with tunable frequency, timing and bandwidth. We study the interaction of single photons produced in a ‘source’ ensemble of 87Rb atoms at room temperature with another ‘target’ ensemble. This allows us to simultaneously probe the spectral and quantum statistical properties of narrow-bandwidth single-photon pulses, revealing that their quantum nature is preserved under EIT propagation and storage. We measure the time delay associated with the reduced group velocity of the single-photon pulses and report observations of their storage and retrieval.

Building a scalable quantum processor requires coherent control and preservation of quantum coherence in a large-scale quantum system. Mesoscopic solid-state systems such as Josephson junctions and quantum dots feature robust control techniques using local electrical signals and self-evident scaling; however, in general the quantum states decohere rapidly. In contrast, quantum optical systems based on trapped ions and neutral atoms exhibit much better coherence properties, but their miniaturization and integration with electrical circuits remains a challenge. Here we describe methods for the integration of a single-particle system—an isolated polar molecule—with mesoscopic solid-state devices in a way that produces robust, coherent, quantum-level control. Our setup provides a scalable cavity-QED-type quantum computer architecture, where entanglement of distant qubits stored in long-lived rotational molecular states is achieved via exchange of microwave photons.

We demonstrated coherent control of a quantum two-level system based on two-electron spin states in a double quantum dot, allowing state preparation, coherent manipulation, and projective readout. These techniques are based on rapid electrical control of the exchange interaction. Separating and later recombining a singlet spin state provided a measurement of the spin dephasing time, T2*, of ~10 nanoseconds, limited by hyperfine interactions with the gallium arsenide host nuclei. Rabi oscillations of two-electron spin states were demonstrated, and spin-echo pulse sequences were used to suppress hyperfine-induced dephasing. Using these quantum control techniques, a coherence time for two-electron spin states exceeding 1 microsecond was observed.

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