Coherent narrow-band extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light is generated by a near-resonant four-wave mixing (FWM) process between attosecond pulse trains and near-infrared pulses in neon gas. The near-resonant FWM process involves one vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photon and two near-infrared (NIR) photons and produces new higher-energy frequency components corresponding to the $ns/nd$ to ground-state $\left(2s^{2}2p^6\right)$ transitions in the neon atom. The EUV emission exhibits small angular divergence (2 mrad) and monotonically increasing intensity over a pressure range of 0.5–16 Torr, suggesting phase matching in the production of the narrow-bandwidth coherent EUV light. In addition, time-resolved scans of the NIR nonlinear mixing process reveal the detection of a persistent, ultrafast bound electronic wave packet based on a coherent superposition initiated by the VUV pulse in the neon atoms. This FWM process using attosecond pulses offers a means for both efficient narrow-band EUV source generation and time-resolved investigations of ultrafast dynamics.

We have theoretically investigated the time-symmetry-breaking phase-transition process for two discrete states coupled with a one-dimensional continuum by solving the nonlinear eigenvalue problem for the effective Hamiltonian associated with the discrete spectrum. We obtain the effective Hamiltonian with use of the Feshbach-Brillouin-Wigner projection method. Strong energy dependence of the self-energy appearing in the effective Hamiltonian plays a key role in the time-symmetry-breaking phase transition: As a result of competition in the decay process between the Van Hove singularity and the Fano resonance, the phase transition becomes a higher-order transition when both the two discrete states are located near the continuum threshold.

We consider any noncontextuality inequality, and the state preparation scheme which consists in performing any von Neumann measurement, with post-measurement states ${\rho }_m$, on any initial state. For an inequality which is not always satisfied and Hilbert space dimensions greater than a value specified by the inequality, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of observables with which the inequality is violated for a state ${\rho }_m$. For an initial state with no zero eigenvalues, there are always such observables, and they are independent of this state.

Thermal stability of the topological color code in the presence of a thermal bath is studied. We study the Lindblad evolution of the observables in the weak-coupling limit of the Born-Markov approximation. The autocorrelation functions of the observables are used as a figure of merit for the thermal stability. We show that all of the observables autocorrelation functions decay exponentially in time. By finding a lower bound of the decay rate, which is a constant independent of the system size, we show that the topological color code is unstable against thermal fluctuations from the bath at finite temperature, even though it is stable at $T=0$ against local quantum perturbations.

Nonlocal unitary operations can create quantum entanglement between distributed particles, and the quantification of created entanglement is a hard problem. It corresponds to the concepts of entangling and assisted entangling power when the input states are, respectively, product and arbitrary pure states. We analytically derive them for Schmidt-rank-two bipartite unitary and some complex bipartite permutation unitaries. In particular, the entangling power of permutation unitary of Schmidt rank three can take only one of two values: ${log}_{2}9-16/9$ or ${log}_{2}3$ ebits. The entangling power, assisted entangling power, and disentangling power of $2\times d_B$ permutation unitaries of Schmidt rank four are all 2 ebits. These quantities are also derived for generalized Clifford operators. We further show that any bipartite permutation unitary of Schmidt rank greater than two has entangling power greater than 1.223 ebits. We construct the generalized controlled-not (cnot) gates whose assisted entangling power reaches the maximum. We quantitatively compare the entangling power and assisted entangling power for general bipartite unitaries and their connection to the disentangling power by proposing a probabilistic protocol for implementing bipartite unitaries.

A general single-center close-coupling approach based on a continuum-discretization procedure is developed to calculate excitation and ionization processes in ion-atom collisions. The continuous spectrum of the target is discretized using stationary wave packets constructed from the Coulomb wave functions, the eigenstates of the target Hamiltonian. Such continuum discretization allows one to generate pseudostates with arbitrary energies and distribution. These features are ideal for detailed differential ionization studies. The approach starts from the semiclassical three-body Schrödinger equation for the scattering wave function and leads to a set of coupled differential equations for the transition probability amplitudes. To demonstrate its utility the method is applied to calculate collisions of antiprotons with atomic hydrogen. A comprehensive set of benchmark results from integrated to fully differential cross sections for antiproton-impact ionization of hydrogen in the energy range from 1 keV to 1 MeV is provided. Contrary to previous predictions, we find that at low incident energies the singly differential cross section has a maximum away from the zero emission energy. This feature could not be seen without a fine discretization of the low-energy part of the continuum.

We investigate confinement-induced resonances in a system composed of a tightly trapped ion and a moving atom in a waveguide. We determine the conditions for the appearance of such resonances in a broad region—from the “long-wavelength” limit to the opposite case when the typical length scale of the atom-ion polarization potential essentially exceeds the transverse waveguide width. We find considerable dependence of the resonance position on the atomic mass which, however, disappears in the “long-wavelength and zero-energy” limit, where the known result for the confined atom-atom scattering is reproduced. We also derive an analytic and a semianalytic formula for the resonance position in the long-wavelength and zero-energy limit and we investigate numerically the dependence of the resonance condition on the finite atomic colliding energy. Our results, which can be investigated experimentally in the near future, could be used to determine the atom-ion scattering length, to determine the temperature of the atomic ensemble in the presence of an ion impurity, and to control the atom-phonon coupling in a linear ion crystal in interaction with a quasi-one-dimensional atomic quantum gas.

We implement high-efficiency coherent excitation to a Rydberg state using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a cold-atom electron and ion source. We achieve an efficiency of 60% averaged over the laser excitation volume with a peak efficiency of 82%, a 1.6 times improvement relative to incoherent pulsed-laser excitation. Using pulsed electric field ionization of the Rydberg atoms we create electron bunches with durations of 250 ps. High-efficiency excitation will increase source brightness, crucial for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, and coherent excitation to high-lying Rydberg states could allow for the reduction of internal bunch heating and the creation of a high-speed single-ion source.

We examine the dynamics of a quasi-two-dimensional spin-1 condensate in which the quadratic Zeeman energy $q$ is suddenly quenched to a value where the system has a ferromagnetic ground state. There are two distinct types of ferromagnetic phases, i.e., a range of $q$ values where the magnetization prefers to be in the direction of the external field (easy axis) and a range of $q$ values where it prefers to be transverse to the field (easy plane). We study the quench dynamics for a variety of $q$ values and show that there is a single dynamic critical exponent to characterize the scale-invariant domain growth for each ferromagnetic phase. For both quenches we give simple analytic models that capture the essential scale-invariant dynamics and correctly predict the exponents. Because the order parameter for each phase is different, the natures of the domains and the relevant topological defects in each type of coarsening are also different. To explore these differences we characterize the fractal dimension of the domain walls and the relationship of polar-core spin vortices to the domains in the easy-plane phase. Finally, we consider how the energy liberated from the quench thermalizes in the easy-axis quench. We show that local equilibrium is established in the spin waves on moderate time scales, but continues to evolve as the domains anneal.

We propose a geometry-specific, mode-selective quantization scheme in coupled field-emitter systems which makes it easy to include material and geometrical properties, and intrinsic losses, as well as the positions of an arbitrary number of quantum emitters. The method is presented through the example of a spherically symmetric, nonmagnetic, arbitrarily layered system. We follow it up by a framework to project the system on simpler, effective cavity QED models. Maintaining a well-defined connection to the original quantization, we derive the emerging effective quantities from the full, mode-selective model in a mathematically consistent way. We discuss the uses and limitations of these effective models.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a provably secure way for two distant parties to establish a common secret key, which then can be used in a classical cryptographic scheme. Using quantum entanglement, one can reduce the necessary assumptions that the parties have to make about their devices, giving rise to device-independent QKD (DIQKD). However, in all existing protocols to date the parties need to have an initial (at least partially) random seed as a resource. In this work, we show that this requirement can be dropped. Using recent advances in the fields of randomness amplification and randomness expansion, we demonstrate that it is sufficient for the message the parties want to communicate to be (partially) unknown to the adversaries—an assumption without which any type of cryptography would be pointless to begin with. One party can use her secret message to locally generate a secret sequence of bits, which can then be openly used by herself and the other party in a DIQKD protocol. Hence our work reduces the requirements needed to perform secure DIQKD and establish safe communication.

An experimental study of 500- and 1000-eV incident electrons transmitted through a micrometer-sized funnel-shaped (tapered) glass capillary with inlet diameter 0.80 mm, outlet diameter 0.10 mm, and a length of 35 mm is reported. The properties of the electron beam transmitted were measured as a function of the emerging angle and the incident energy dependence. The angular profiles were found to be comprised of up to three peaks for both 500 and 1000 eV showing evidence for transmission going straight through the capillary without interacting with the walls (direct), as well as transmission resulting from Coulomb deflection of the electrons from a negative charge patch or by scattering from nuclei close to the surface of the capillary (indirect). The energy spectra show that elastically transmitted electrons dominate at 500 eV for increasing sample tilt angles up to ∼5.0°, while inelastic processes dominate for 1000 eV already at tilt angles of ∼1.0°. The angular width of the emitted electrons was found to constitute a narrow beam for direct (∼0.4°) and indirect (<0.6° for 500 eV and <1.0° for 1000 eV) transmission for both energies with the widths decreasing for the largest tilt angles measured and approaching the inherent resolution (∼0.3°) of the electron analyzer.

The direct and indirect mechanisms of dissociative recombination of ${\mathrm{N}}_2{\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ are theoretically studied. At low energies, the electron capture is found to be driven by recombination into bound Rydberg states, while at collision energies above 0.1 eV, the direct capture and dissociation along electronic resonant states becomes important. Electron-scattering calculations using the complex Kohn variational method are performed to obtain the scattering matrix as well as energy positions and autoionization widths of resonant states. Potential-energy surfaces of electronic bound states of ${\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{H}$ and ${\mathrm{N}}_2{\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ are computed using structure calculations with the multireference configuration interaction method. The cross section for the indirect mechanism is calculated using a vibrational frame transformation of the elements of the scattering matrix at energies just above the ionization threshold. Here vibrational excitations of the ionic core from $v=0$ to $v=1$ and $v=2$ for all three normal modes are considered and autoionization is neglected. The cross section for the direct dissociation along electronic resonant states is computed with wave-packet calculations using the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree method, where all three internal degrees of freedom are considered. The calculated cross sections are compared to measurements.

Attosecond science promises to allow new forms of quantum control in which a broadband isolated attosecond pulse excites a molecular wave packet consisting of a coherent superposition of multiple excited electronic states. This electronic excitation triggers nuclear motion on the molecular manifold of potential energy surfaces and can result in permanent rearrangement of the constituent atoms. Here, we demonstrate attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (ATAS) as a viable probe of the electronic and nuclear dynamics initiated in excited states of a neutral molecule by a broadband vacuum ultraviolet pulse. Owing to the high spectral and temporal resolution of ATAS, we are able to reconstruct the time evolution of a vibrational wave packet within the excited $B^{\prime }{}^1\mathrm{\Sigma }_u{}^{+}$ electronic state of ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ via the laser-perturbed transient absorption spectrum.

We determine the exact dynamics of an initial Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) state of ultracold atoms in a deep hexagonal optical lattice. The dynamical evolution is triggered by a quench of the lattice potential such that the interaction strength $U_f$ is much larger than the hopping amplitude $J_f$. The quench initiates collective oscillations with frequency $|U_f|/2\pi$ in the momentum occupation numbers and imprints an oscillating phase with the same frequency on the BCS order parameter $\mathrm{\Delta }$. The oscillation frequency of $\mathrm{\Delta }$ is not reproduced by treating the time evolution in mean-field theory. In our theory, the momentum noise (i.e., density-density) correlation functions oscillate at frequency $|U_f|/2\pi$ as well as at its second harmonic. For a very deep lattice, with zero tunneling energy, the oscillations of momentum occupation numbers are undamped. Nonzero tunneling after the quench leads to dephasing of the different momentum modes and a subsequent damping of the oscillations. The damping occurs even for a finite-temperature initial BCS state, but not for a noninteracting Fermi gas. Furthermore, damping is stronger for larger order parameter and may therefore be used as a signature of the BCS state. Finally, our theory shows that the noise correlation functions in a honeycomb lattice will develop strong anticorrelations near the Dirac point.

Ultrashort long-wave infrared (LWIR) laser pulses can resonantly excite vibrations in ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_2$ through a two-photon transition. The absorptive vibrational component of the ultrafast optical nonlinearity grows in time, starting smaller than but quickly surpassing the electronic, rotational, and vibrational refractive components. The growth of the vibrational component results in a novel mechanism of third-harmonic generation, providing an additional two-photon excitation channel, fundamental + third harmonic. The original and emergent two-photon excitations drive the resonance exactly out of phase, causing spatial decay of the absorptive vibrational nonlinearity. This nearly eliminates two-photon vibrational absorption. Here we present simulations and analytical calculations demonstrating how these processes modify the ultrafast optical nonlinearity in air. The results reveal nonlinear optical phenomena unique to the LWIR regime of ultrashort pulse propagation in the atmosphere.

Phase-sensitive parametric interactions can selectively process the two complex quadratures of the optical field. We implement phase-sensitive amplification in a large band-gap semiconductor photonic crystal waveguide in order to avoid two-photon absorption and free-carrier-related effects. Experimentally, an extinction ratio of 15 dB is achieved in a 1.5-mm-long photonic crystal waveguide, at a peak pump power of about 600 mW. We show that cascaded parametric interaction has a strong impact on squeezing and phase-sensitive extinction ratio and that this depends on the dispersion profile of the waveguide.