In this paper, tunable dual plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) is achieved by using a monolayer graphene metamaterial in the terahertz region, which consists of two graphene strips of different sizes and a graphene ring. As the dual PIT effect is induced by the destructive interference between the two quasi-dark modes and the bright mode, we propose a four-level plasmonic system based on the linearly coupled Lorentzian oscillators to explain the mechanism behind the dual PIT. It is proved that the theoretical results agree well with the simulation results. Most importantly, the sensing properties of the designed device have been investigated in detail and we found that it can exhibit high sensitivities and figure of merit (FOM). Furthermore, the dual PIT windows can be effectively modulated by changing the Fermi energy of the graphene layer and the angle of incidence. Thus, the proposed graphene-based metamaterial can hold wide applications for switches, modulators, and multi-band refractive index sensors in the terahertz region.
Entanglement is a quintessential quantum mechanical phenomenon with no classical equivalent. First discussed by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen and formally introduced by Schrödinger in 1935, entanglement has grown from a scientific debate to a radically new resource that sparks a technological revolution. This review focuses on fundamentals and recent advances in entanglement-based quantum information technology (QIT), specifically in photonic systems. Photons are unique quantum information carriers with several advantages, such as their ability to operate at room temperature, their compatibility with existing communication and sensing infrastructures, and the availability of readily accessible optical components. Photons also interface well with other solid-state quantum platforms. We first provide an overview on entanglement, starting with an introduction to its development from a historical perspective followed by the theory for entanglement generation and the associated representative experiments. We then dive into the applications of entanglement-based QIT for sensing, imaging, spectroscopy, data processing, and communication. Before closing, we present an outlook for the architecture of the next-generation entanglement-based QIT and its prospective applications.
The identification of light sources represents a task of utmost importance for the development of multiple photonic technologies. Over the last decades, the identification of light sources as diverse as sunlight, laser radiation, and molecule fluorescence has relied on the collection of photon statistics or the implementation of quantum state tomography. In general, this task requires an extensive number of measurements to unveil the characteristic statistical fluctuations and correlation properties of light, particularly in the low-photon flux regime. In this article, we exploit the self-learning features of artificial neural networks and the naive Bayes classifier to dramatically reduce the number of measurements required to discriminate thermal light from coherent light at the single-photon level. We demonstrate robust light identification with tens of measurements at mean photon numbers below one. In terms of accuracy and number of measurements, the methods described here dramatically outperform conventional schemes for characterization of light sources. Our work has important implications for multiple photonic technologies such as light detection and ranging, and microscopy.
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. Our work is important for quantum technologies that rely on multiphoton interference such as quantum imaging, boson sampling, and quantum networks.
In this paper, we revisit the quantum Fisher information (QFI) calculation in SU(1,1) interferometer considering different phase configurations. When one of the input modes is a vacuum state, we show by using phase averaging, different phase configurations give the same QFI. In addition, by casting the phase estimation as a two-parameter estimation problem, we show that the calculation of the quantum Fisher information matrix (QFIM) is necessary in general. Particularly, within this setup, the phase-averaging method is equivalent to a two-parameter estimation problem. We also calculate the phase sensitivity for different input states using QFIM approach.
A single photon can be coupled to collective charge oscillations at the interfaces between metals and dielectrics forming a single surface plasmon. The electromagnetic near‐fields induced by single surface plasmons offer new degrees of freedom to perform an exquisite control of complex quantum dynamics. Remarkably, the control of quantum systems represents one of the most significant challenges in the field of quantum photonics. Recently, there has been an enormous interest in using plasmonic systems to control multiphoton dynamics in complex photonic circuits. In this review, we discuss recent advances that unveil novel routes to control multiparticle quantum systems composed of multiple photons and plasmons. We describe important properties that characterize optical multiparticle systems such as their statistical quantum fluctuations and correlations. In this regard, we discuss the role that photon‐plasmon interactions play in the manipulation of these fundamental properties for multiparticle systems. We also review recent works that show novel platforms to manipulate many‐body light‐matter interactions. In this spirit, the foundations that will allow nonexperts to understand new perspectives in multiparticle quantum plasmonics are described. First, we discuss the quantum statistical fluctuations of the electromagnetic field as well as the fundamentals of plasmonics and its quantum properties. This discussion is followed by a brief treatment of the dynamics that characterize complex multiparticle interactions. We apply these ideas to describe quantum interactions in photonic‐plasmonic multiparticle quantum systems. We summarize the state‐of‐the‐art in quantum devices that rely on plasmonic interactions. The review is concluded with our perspective on the future applications and challenges in this burgeoning field.