Single-photon-level quantum frequency conversion has recently been demonstrated using silicon nitride microring resonators. The resonance enhancement offered by such systems enables high-efficiency translation of quantum states of light across wide frequency ranges at subwatt pump powers. We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the conversion dynamics in these systems and show that they are capable of converting single- and multiphoton quantum states. Analytic formulas for the conversion efficiency, spectral conversion probability density, and pump-power requirements are derived which are in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental results. We show that with only modest improvement to the state of the art, efficiencies exceeding 95% are achievable using less than 100 mW of pump power. At the critical driving strength that yields maximum conversion efficiency, the spectral conversion probability density is shown to exhibit a flat-topped peak, indicating a range of insensitivity to the spectrum of a single-photon input. Two alternate theoretical approaches are presented to study the conversion dynamics: a dressed-mode approach that yields a better intuitive picture of the conversion process, and a study of the temporal dynamics of the participating modes in the resonator, which uncovers a regime of Rabi-like coherent oscillations of single photons between two different frequency modes. This oscillatory regime arises from the strong coupling of distinct frequency modes mediated by coherent pumps.

We develop a method to construct entanglement criteria for arbitrary multipartite systems of discrete or continuous variables and hybrid combinations of both. While any set of local operators generates a sufficient condition for entanglement of arbitrary quantum states, a suitable set leads to a necessary and sufficient criterion for pure states. The criteria are readily implementable with existing technology and reveal entanglement that remains undetected by the respective state-of-the-art methods for discrete and continuous variables.

The evolution of the center-of-mass wave function for a mesoscopic particle according to the Schrödinger-Newton equation can be approximated by a harmonic potential if the wave function is narrow compared to the size of the mesoscopic particle. It was noticed by Colin et al. [Phys. Rev. A 93, 062102 (2016).] that, in the regime where self-gravitational effects are weak, intermediate and wider wave functions may be approximated by a harmonic potential as well but with a width-dependent coupling, leading to a time evolution that is determined only by a differential equation for the width of a Gaussian wave function as a single parameter. Such an approximation results in considerably less computational effort in order to predict the self-gravitational effects on the wave-function dynamics. Here, we provide an alternative approach to this kind of approximation, including a rigorous derivation of the equations of motion for an initially Gaussian wave packet under the assumption that its shape is conserved. Our result deviates to some degree from the result by Colin et al. [Phys. Rev. A 93, 062102 (2016).], specifically in the limit of wide wave functions.

We consider non-Hermitian dynamics of a quantum particle hopping on a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice made of $N$ sites with asymmetric hopping rates induced by a time-periodic oscillating imaginary gauge field. A deeply different behavior is found depending on the lattice topology. While in a linear chain (open boundary conditions) an oscillating field can lead to a complex quasienergy spectrum via a multiple parametric resonance; in a ring topology (Born–von Karman periodic boundary conditions) an entirely real quasienergy spectrum can be found and the dynamics is pseudo-Hermitian. In the large-$N$ limit, parametric instability and pseudo-Hermitian dynamics in the two different lattice topologies are physically explained on the basis of a simple picture of wave-packet propagation.

Perfect state transfer between two marked vertices of a graph by means of a discrete-time quantum walk is analyzed. We consider the quantum walk search algorithm with two marked vertices, sender and receiver. It is shown by explicit calculation that, for the coined quantum walks on a star graph and a complete graph with self-loops, perfect state transfer between the sender and receiver vertex is achieved for an arbitrary number of vertices $N$ in $O\left(\sqrt{N}\right)$ steps of the walk. Finally, we show that Szegedy's walk with queries on a complete graph allows for state transfer with unit fidelity in the limit of large $N$.

We present two methods for characterization of motional-mode configurations that are generally applicable to the weak- and strong-binding limit of single or multiple trapped atomic ions. Our methods are essential to realize control of the individual as well as the common motional degrees of freedom. In particular, when implementing scalable radio-frequency trap architectures with decreasing ion-electrode distances, local curvatures of electric potentials need to be measured and adjusted precisely, e.g., to tune phonon tunneling and control effective spin-spin interaction. We demonstrate both methods using single ${}^{25}\text{Mg}^{+}$ ions that are individually confined $40\mu \mathrm{m}$ above a surface-electrode trap array and prepared close to the ground state of motion in three dimensions.

We present a comprehensive study of the photodetachment of the negative gallium ion and elastic electron scattering from neutral Ga for photon and electron energies ranging from threshold to 12 eV. The calculations are carried out with the $B$-spline $R$-matrix method. A multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock method with nonorthogonal term-dependent orbitals is employed to generate accurate initial- and final-state wave functions. The close-coupling expansions include the $4s{}^{2}4pnl\left(kl\right)$ bound and continuum states of Ga and the $4s$-excited autoionizing states $4s4p^2$. The calculated photodetachment and elastic cross sections exhibit prominent resonance features. In order to clarify the origin of these resonances, the contributions of the major ionization channels to the partial cross sections are analyzed in detail.

We study the effects of long-range hopping and long-range interparticle interactions on the quantum walk of hard-core bosons in ideal and disordered one-dimensional lattices. We find that the range of hopping has a much more significant effect on the particle correlation dynamics than the range of interactions. We illustrate that long-range hopping makes the correlation diagrams asymmetric with respect to the sign of the interaction. We examine the relative role of repulsive and attractive interactions on the dynamics of scattering by isolated impurities and Anderson localization in disordered lattices. We show that weakly repulsive interactions increase the probability of tunneling through isolated impurities and decrease the localization.

Clustering of like-sign vortices in a planar bounded domain is known to occur at negative temperature, a phenomenon that Onsager demonstrated to be a consequence of bounded phase space. In a confined superfluid, quantized vortices can support such an ordered phase, provided they evolve as an almost isolated subsystem containing sufficient energy. A detailed theoretical understanding of the statistical mechanics of such states thus requires a microcanonical approach. Here we develop an analytical theory of the vortex clustering transition in a neutral system of quantum vortices confined to a two-dimensional disk geometry, within the microcanonical ensemble. The choice of ensemble is essential for identifying the correct thermodynamic limit of the system, enabling a rigorous description of clustering in the language of critical phenomena. As the system energy increases above a critical value, the system develops global order via the emergence of a macroscopic dipole structure from the homogeneous phase of vortices, spontaneously breaking the ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ symmetry associated with invariance under vortex circulation exchange, and the rotational $\mathrm{SO}\left(2\right)$ symmetry due to the disk geometry. The dipole structure emerges characterized by the continuous growth of the macroscopic dipole moment which serves as a global order parameter, resembling a continuous phase transition. The critical temperature of the transition, and the critical exponent associated with the dipole moment, are obtained exactly within mean-field theory. The clustering transition is shown to be distinct from the final state reached at high energy, known as supercondensation. The dipole moment develops via two macroscopic vortex clusters and the cluster locations are found analytically, both near the clustering transition and in the supercondensation limit. The microcanonical theory shows excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulations, and signatures of the transition are apparent even for a modest system of 100 vortices, accessible in current Bose-Einstein condensate experiments.

In this work, counterintuitive effects such as the generation of an axial (i.e., long the direction of wave motion) zero-energy flux density (i.e., axial Poynting singularity) and reverse (i.e., negative) propagation of nonparaxial quasi-Gaussian electromagnetic (EM) beams are examined. Generalized analytical expressions for the EM field's components of a coherent superposition of two high-order quasi-Gaussian vortex beams of opposite handedness and different amplitudes are derived based on the complex-source-point method, stemming from Maxwell's vector equations and the Lorenz gauge condition. The general solutions exhibiting unusual effects satisfy the Helmholtz and Maxwell's equations. The EM beam components are characterized by nonzero integer degree and order $(n,m)$, respectively, an arbitrary waist $w_0$, a diffraction convergence length known as the Rayleigh range $z_R$, and a weighting (real) factor $0\le \alpha \le 1$ that describes the transition of the beam from a purely vortex $(\alpha =0)$ to a nonvortex $(\alpha =1)$ type. An attractive feature for this superposition is the description of strongly focused (or strongly divergent) wave fields. Computations of the EM power density as well as the linear and angular momentum density fluxes illustrate the analysis with particular emphasis on the polarization states of the vector potentials forming the beams and the weight of the coherent beam superposition causing the transition from the vortex to the nonvortex type. Should some conditions determined by the polarization state of the vector potentials and the beam parameters be met, an axial zero-energy flux density is predicted in addition to a negative retrograde propagation effect. Moreover, rotation reversal of the angular momentum flux density with respect to the beam handedness is anticipated, suggesting the possible generation of negative (left-handed) torques. The results are particularly useful in applications involving the design of strongly focused optical laser tweezers, tractor beams, optical spanners, arbitrary scattering, radiation force, angular momentum, and torque in particle manipulation, and other related topics.

The propagation and divergence properties of beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) play a crucial role in many applications. Here we present a general study on the divergence of optical beams with OAM. We show that the mean absolute value of the OAM imposes a lower bound on the value of the beam divergence. We discuss our results for two different definitions of the divergence, the so-called rms or encircled energy. The bound on the rms divergence can be expressed as a generalized uncertainty principle, with applications in long-range communication, microscopy, and two-dimensional quantum systems.

We develop a Floquet approach to solve time-periodic quantum Langevin equations in the steady state. We show that two-time correlation functions of system operators can be expanded in a Fourier series and that a generalized Wiener–Khinchin theorem relates the Fourier transform of their zeroth Fourier component to the measured spectrum. We apply our framework to bichromatically driven cavity optomechanical systems, a setting in which mechanical oscillators have recently been prepared in quantum-squeezed states. Our method provides an intuitive way to calculate the power spectral densities for time-periodic quantum Langevin equations in arbitrary rotating frames.

We present a theoretical study about the interference of the harmonics generated by a mixture of two gases, He-Ne. Our model is based on the electron quantum paths, a discrete number of electron trajectories, and continuum-bound transitions. A laser with intensity around ${10}^{14}\text{W}/{\text{cm}}^2$ that interacts with a mixture of gases, He-Ne, produces an interference that is destructive at the low-order harmonics and oscillates between constructive and destructive near to cutoff. This destructive interference at high-order harmonics may be used to explore other transitions, which are currently hidden. At low-order harmonic frequencies, our numerical results are in very good agreement with experimental data. At higher-order harmonics, where there are no experimental data, comparison is with a Schrödinger solver.

Quantum coherent feedback control is a measurement-free control method fully preserving quantum coherence. In this paper we show how time-delayed quantum coherent feedback can be used to control the degree of squeezing in the output field of a cavity containing a degenerate parametric oscillator. We focus on the specific situation of Pyragas-type feedback control where time-delayed signals are fed back directly into the quantum system. Our results show how time-delayed feedback can enhance or decrease the degree of squeezing as a function of time delay and feedback strength.

Photons mediate long-range optomechanical forces between atoms in high-finesse resonators, which can induce the formation of ordered spatial patterns. When a transverse laser drives the atoms, the system undergoes a second-order phase transition that separates a uniform spatial density from a Bragg grating maximizing scattering into the cavity and is controlled by the laser intensity. Starting from a Fokker-Planck equation describing the semiclassical dynamics of the $N$-atom distribution function, we systematically develop a mean-field model and analyze its predictions for the equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium dynamics. The validity of the mean-field model is tested by comparison with the numerical simulations of the $N$-body Fokker-Planck equation and by means of a Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy. The mean-field theory predictions well reproduce several results of the $N$-body Fokker-Planck equation for sufficiently short times and are in good agreement with existing theoretical approaches based on field-theoretical models. The mean field, on the other hand, predicts thermalization time scales which are at least one order of magnitude shorter than the ones predicted by the $N$-body dynamics. We attribute this discrepancy to the fact that the mean-field ansatz discards the effects of the long-range incoherent forces due to cavity losses.

Optically levitated nanoparticles have recently emerged as versatile platforms for investigating macroscopic quantum mechanics and enabling ultrasensitive metrology. In this paper we theoretically consider two damping regimes of an optically levitated nanoparticle cooled by cavityless parametric feedback. Our treatment is based on a generalized Fokker-Planck equation derived from the quantum master equation presented recently and shown to agree very well with experiment [B. Rodenburg, L. P. Neukirch, A. N. Vamivakas, and M. Bhattacharya, Quantum model of cooling and force sensing with an optically trapped nanoparticle, Optica 3, 318 (2016)]. For low damping, we find that the resulting Wigner function yields the single-peaked oscillator position distribution and recovers the appropriate energy distribution derived earlier using a classical theory and verified experimentally [J. Gieseler, R. Quidant, C. Dellago, and L. Novotny, Dynamic relaxation of a levitated nanoparticle from a non-equilibrium steady state, Nat. Nano. 9, 358 (2014)]. For high damping, in contrast, we predict a double-peaked position distribution, which we trace to an underlying bistability induced by feedback. Unlike in cavity-based optomechanics, stochastic processes play a major role in determining the bistable behavior. To support our conclusions, we present analytical expressions as well as numerical simulations using the truncated Wigner function approach. Our work opens up the prospect of developing bistability-based devices, characterization of phase-space dynamics, and investigation of the quantum-classical transition using levitated nanoparticles.

We study the resonance interaction between two uniformly accelerated identical atoms, one excited and the other in the ground state, prepared in a correlated (symmetric or antisymmetric) state and interacting with the scalar field or the electromagnetic field in the vacuum state. In this case (resonance interaction), the interatomic interaction is a second-order effect in the atom-field coupling. We separate the contributions of vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction to the resonance energy shift of the system, and show that only radiation reaction contributes, while Unruh thermal fluctuations do not affect the resonance interaction. We also find that beyond a characteristic length scale related to the atomic acceleration, nonthermal effects in the radiation-reaction contribution change the distance dependence of the resonance interaction. Finally, we find that previously unidentified features appear, compared with the scalar field case, when the interaction with the electromagnetic field is considered, as a consequence of the peculiar nature of the vacuum quantum noise of the electromagnetic field in a relativistically accelerated background.