Entanglement distribution is a prerequisite for several important quantum information processing and computing tasks, such as quantum teleportation, quantum key distribution, and distributed quantum computing. In this work, we focus on two-dimensional quantum networks based on optical quantum technologies using dual-rail photonic qubits for the building of a fail-safe quantum internet. We lay out a quantum network architecture for entanglement distribution between distant parties using a Bravais lattice topology, with the technological constraint that quantum repeaters equipped with quantum memories are not easily accessible. We provide a robust protocol for simultaneous entanglement distribution between two distant groups of parties on this network. We also discuss a memory-based quantum network architecture that can be implemented on networks with an arbitrary topology. We examine networks with bow-tie lattice and Archimedean lattice topologies and use percolation theory to quantify the robustness of the networks. In particular, we provide figures of merit on the loss parameter of the optical medium that depend only on the topology of the network and quantify the robustness of the network against intermittent photon loss and intermittent failure of nodes. These figures of merit can be used to compare the robustness of different network topologies in order to determine the best topology in a given real-world scenario, which is critical in the realization of the quantum internet.

In this paper, we present some generalized monogamy inequalities and upper bounds of negativity based on convex-roof extended negativity (CREN) and CREN of assistance (CRENOA). These monogamy relations are satisfied by the negativity of $N$-qubit quantum systems $AB{C}_1\cdots C_{N-2}$, under the partitions $AB|C_1\cdots C_{N-2}$ and $AB{C}_1|C_2\cdots C_{N-2}$. Furthermore, the $W$-class states are used to test these generalized monogamy inequalities.

We introduce the time-dependent geminal method, in which the total wave function is written as an antisymmetrized product of time-dependent geminals. A geminal is a two-electron orbital depending on the coordinates of two electrons, and each geminal is expanded as a sum of products of time-dependent one-electron orbitals. The equation of motion for the geminal coefficients similar to the time-dependent Hartree-Fock equation is derived. The evaluation of the largest eigenvalues of the second-order reduced density matrix is proposed as a way to measure the extent of the intergeminal correlation in a time-dependent wave function. Using the time-dependent geminal method, we simulate the evolution of the time-dependent wave function of a beryllium atom exposed to an intense laser pulse at two different wavelengths, 400 and 10 nm. The results are compared to those obtained by the time-dependent Hartree-Fock method and by the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree-Fock method.

We present the derivation of the frequency-dependent scalar, vector, and tensor dynamical polarizabilities for the two hyperfine levels of the ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atom $5s$ ground state. Based on the characterization of the dynamical polarizabilities, we analyze and measure the differential vector and tensor light shift between the $5s$ ground-state sublevels with near-resonant, stimulated Raman transitions. These results clarify that the tensor polarizabilities for the ground states of alkali atoms are absent when the light field is far detuned from the atomic resonance and the total electronic angular momentum $J$ is a good quantum number. In the near-resonant case, the light shifts are nontrivial and the determination of the frequency-dependent vector and tensor dynamic polarizabilities will help to achieve higher fidelities for applications of neutral atoms in quantum information and precision measurements.

We present numerical simulations of the ratio between double and single ionization of He and Ne by intense laser pulses at wavelengths of 390 and 400 nm, respectively. The yields of doubly charged ions due to nonsequential double ionization (NSDI) are obtained by employing the quantitative rescattering (QRS) model. In this model, the NSDI ionization probability is expressed as a product of the returning electron wave packet (RWP) and the total scattering cross sections for laser-free electron impact excitation and electron impact ionization of the parent ion. According to the QRS theory, the same RWP is also responsible for the emission of high-energy above-threshold ionization photoelectrons. To obtain absolute double-ionization yields, the RWP is generated by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation (TDSE) within a one-electron model. The same TDSE results can also be taken to obtain single-ionization yields. By using the TDSE results to calibrate single ionization and the RWP obtained from the strong-field approximation, we further simplify the calculation such that the nonuniform laser intensity distribution in the focused laser beam can be accounted for. In addition, laser-free electron impact excitation and ionization cross sections are calculated using the state-of-the-art many-electron $R$-matrix theory. The simulation results for double-to-single-ionization ratios are found to compare well with experimental data and support the validity of the nonsequential double-ionization mechanism for the covered intensity region.

We use a slave-rotor approach within a mean-field theory to study the competition of metallic, Mott-insulating, and superconducting phases of spin-3/2 fermions subjected to a periodic optical lattice potential. In addition to the metallic, the Mott-insulating, and the superconducting phases that are associated with the gauge symmetry breaking of the spinon field, we identify an emerging superconducting phase that breaks both roton and spinon field gauge symmetries. This superconducting phase emerges as a result of the competition between spin-0 singlet and spin-2 quintet interaction channels naturally available for spin-3/2 systems. The two superconducting phases can be distinguished from each other by quasiparticle weight. We further discuss the properties of these phases for both two-dimensional square and three-dimensional cubic lattices at zero and finite temperatures.

A strict analytical solution of the problem of spin-noise signal formation in a volume medium with randomly moving spin carriers is presented. The treatment is carried out in the model of light scattering in a medium with fluctuating inhomogeneity. Along with conventional single-beam geometry, we consider the two-beam arrangement, with the scattering field of the auxiliary (tilted) beam heterodyned on the photodetector illuminated by the main beam. It is shown that the spin-noise signal detected in the two-beam arrangement is highly sensitive to motion (diffusion) of the spin carriers within the illuminated volume and thus can provide additional information about the spin dynamics and spatial correlations of spin polarization in the volume media. Our quantitative estimates show that, under real experimental conditions, spin diffusion may strongly suppress the spin-noise signal in the two-beam geometry. The mechanism of this suppression is similar to that of the time-of-flight broadening with the critical distance determined by the period of two-beam spatial interference rather than by the beam diameter.

We provide an analytical expression for the entanglement decay of initially maximally entangled orbital-angular-momentum biphoton states, when scattered off an obstruction. We show that the decay is controlled by the diffraction-induced mutual overlap between the diffracted field modes, and quantify its dependence on the size and position of the obstruction.

In this article, I show how periodically tapered waveguides can be employed as efficient quasi-phase-matching schemes for four-wave mixing parametric processes in third-order nonlinear materials. As an example, a thorough study of enhancing third-harmonic generation in sinusoidally tapered fibers has been conducted. The quasi-phase-matching condition has been obtained for nonlinear parametric interactions in these structures using Fourier-series analysis. The dependencies of the conversion efficiency of the third harmonic on the modulation amplitude, tapering period, longitudinal-propagation direction, and pump wavelength have been studied. In comparison to uniform waveguides, the conversion efficiency has been enhanced by orders of magnitudes. I envisage that this work will have a great impact in the field of guided nonlinear optics using centrosymmetric materials.

We provide a characterization of multiqubit entanglement constraints in terms of negativity. By using the square of convex-roof extended negativity (SCREN) and the Hamming weight of the binary vector related with the distribution of subsystems, we show that the $\alpha \mathrm{th}$ power of SCREN provides a class of monogamy inequalities of multiqubit entanglement in a tight way for $\alpha \ge 1$. We further show that the $\beta \mathrm{th}$ power of SCREN also provides a class of tight polygamy inequalities for $0\le \beta \le 1$.

We propose a method for reducing the sensitivity of atomic ground-to-Rydberg transitions to stray dc electric fields, using microwave-induced dressing of Rydberg states. Calculations are presented for the Cs $90S_{1/2}$ and $90P_{3/2}$ states. With zero dc bias electric field, a two-frequency ac field is used to simultaneously reduce the sensitivity of both states to dc field variations. The sensitivity reduction is a factor of 95 for the $90S_{1/2}$ state and a factor of 1600 for the $90P_{3/2},m_J=3/2$ state. We also show how the two-frequency ac field can be used to cancel both second- and fourth-order terms in the polarizability of a single Rydberg state. These results are relevant to improving the stability of experiments that seek to excite Rydberg atoms in the proximity of charged surfaces.

We investigate the coherent control of the photoelectron angular distribution in bichromatic atomic ionization. Neon is selected as target since it is one of the most popular systems in current gas-phase experiments with free-electron lasers (FELSs). In particular, we tackle practical questions, such as the role of the fine-structure splitting, the pulse length, and the intensity. Time-dependent and stationary perturbation theory are employed, and we also solve the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in a single-active electron model. We consider neon ionized by a FEL pulse whose fundamental frequency is in resonance with either $2p\text{−}3s$ or $2p\text{−}4s$ excitation. The contribution of the nonresonant two-photon process and its potential constructive or destructive role for quantum coherent control is investigated.

We study the role of electron-electron correlation in the ground state of Ne, as well as in photoionization dynamics induced by an attosecond XUV pulse. For a selection of central photon energies around 100 eV, we find that while the mean-field time-dependent Hartree-Fock method provides qualitatively correct results for the total ionization yield, the photoionization cross section, the photoelectron momentum distribution, as well as for the time delay in photoionization, electron-electron correlation is important for a quantitative description of these quantities.

A quantum Galilean cannon is a one-dimensional sequence of $N$ hard-core particles with special mass ratios and a hard wall; conservation laws due to the reflection group $A_N$ prevent both classical stochastization and quantum diffraction. It is realizable through specie-alternating mutually repulsive bosonic soliton trains. We show that an initial disentangled state can evolve into one where the heavy and light particles are entangled, and we propose a sensor, containing $N_{\text{total}}$ atoms, with a $\sqrt{N_{\text{total}}}$ times higher sensitivity than in a one-atom sensor with $N_{\text{total}}$ repetitions.

We investigate fast transport and spin manipulation of tunable spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in a moving harmonic trap. Motivated by the concept of shortcuts to adiabaticity, we design inversely the time-dependent trap position and spin-orbit-coupling strength. By choosing appropriate boundary conditions we obtain fast transport and spin flip simultaneously. The nonadiabatic transport and relevant spin dynamics are illustrated with numerical examples and compared with the adiabatic transport with constant spin-orbit-coupling strength and velocity. Moreover, the influence of nonlinearity induced by interatomic interaction is discussed in terms of the Gross-Pitaevskii approach, showing the robustness of the proposed protocols. With the state-of-the-art experiments, such an inverse engineering technique paves the way for coherent control of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in harmonic traps.

For many decades, theory has predicted that Bose-Einstein statistics are a fundamental feature of thermal emission into one or a few optical modes; however, the resulting Bose-Einstein-like photon noise has never been experimentally observed. There are at least two reasons for this: (1) Relationships to describe the thermal radiation noise for an arbitrary mode structure have yet to be set forth, and (2) the mode and detector constraints necessary for the detection of such light is extremely hard to fulfill. Herein, photon statistics and radiation noise relationships are developed for systems with any number of modes and couplings to an observing space. The results are shown to reproduce existing special cases of thermal emission and are then applied to resonator systems to discuss physically realizable conditions under which Bose-Einstein-like thermal statistics might be observed. Examples include a single isolated cavity and an emitter cavity coupled to a small detector space. Low-mode-number noise theory shows major deviations from solely Bose-Einstein or Poisson treatments and has particular significance because of recent advances in perfect absorption and subwavelength structures both in the long-wave infrared and terahertz regimes. These microresonator devices tend to utilize a small volume with few modes, a regime where the current theory of thermal emission fluctuations and background noise, which was developed decades ago for free-space or single-mode cavities, has no derived solutions.

Quantum criticality usually occurs in many-body systems. Recently it was shown that the quantum Rabi model, which describes a two-level atom coupled to a single model cavity field, presents quantum phase transitions from a normal phase to a superradiate phase when the ratio between the frequency of the two-level atom and the frequency of the cavity field extends to infinity. In this work, we study quantum phase transitions in the quantum Rabi model from the fidelity susceptibility perspective. We found that the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility present universal finite-size scaling behaviors near the quantum critical point of the Rabi model if the ratio between frequency of the two-level atom and frequency of the cavity field is finite. From the finite-size scaling analysis of the fidelity susceptibility, we found that the adiabatic dimension of the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility of fourth order in the Rabi model are $4/3$ and 2, respectively. Meanwhile, the correlation length critical exponent and the dynamical critical exponent in the quantum critical point of the Rabi model are found to be $3/2$ and $1/3$, respectively. Since the fidelity susceptibility and the generalized adiabatic susceptibility are the moments of the quantum noise spectrum which are directly measurable by experiments in linear response regime, the scaling behavior of the fidelity susceptibility in the Rabi model could be tested experimentally. The simple structure of the quantum Rabi model paves the way for experimentally observing the universal scaling behavior of the fidelity susceptibility at a quantum phase transition.

We study exceptional points that occur in photonic crystal slabs due to cross-polarization (TE-TM) mode coupling. To do this, we develop spatiotemporal coupled-mode theory that describes optical properties of photonic crystal slabs supporting TE and TM modes in the case of conical mount. The developed theory suggests that by tuning the in-plane wave numbers of the incident light one can make two modes of the structure coalesce, which results in an exceptional point. The developed theory provides simple analytical expressions for the exceptional point position and the line shape of the corresponding resonance. The parameters of the proposed model can be rigorously estimated by a numerical calculation of the S-matrix poles of the structure. We show that the proposed analytical model with the estimated parameters is in good agreement with the presented full-wave simulations.