We examine the formation process of the vacuum polarization cloud around a localized charge with space-time resolution permitting us to view the traditional charge renormalization procedure from a dynamical perspective. The asymptotic steady-state charge cloud found in the long-time limit (after the subtraction of a suitable term) matches the distribution predicted by standard perturbative propagator techniques based on Feynman diagrams. This match demonstrates that an alternative (classical-field approximation based) approach can predict the nonlinear properties of the vacuum state. It turns out that some aspects of the polarization dynamics suggest that the vacuum can be viewed as a classical dielectric medium, while other aspects are purely quantum mechanical in nature and cannot be predicted from the Maxwell theory for classical fields.

Understanding the role that quantum entanglement plays as a resource in various information processing tasks is one of the crucial goals of quantum information theory. Here we propose an alternative perspective for studying quantum entanglement: distributed computation of functions without communication between nodes. To formalize this approach, we propose identity games. Surprisingly, despite no signaling, we obtain that nonlocal quantum strategies beat classical ones in terms of winning probability for identity games originating from certain bipartite and multipartite functions. Moreover we show that, for a majority of functions, access to general nonsignaling resources boosts success probability two times in comparison to classical ones for a number of large enough outputs. Because there are no constraints on the inputs and no processing of the outputs in the identity games, they detect very strong types of correlations: absolute nonlocality.

Understanding the behavior of quantum systems subject to magnetic fields is of fundamental importance and underpins quantum technologies. However, modeling these systems is a complex task, because of many-body interactions and because many-body approaches such as density-functional theory get complicated by the presence of a vector potential into the system Hamiltonian. We use the metric-space approach to quantum mechanics to study the effects of varying the magnetic vector potential on quantum systems. The application of this technique to model systems in the ground state provides insight into the fundamental mapping at the core of current density-functional theory, which relates the many-body wave function, particle density, and paramagnetic current density. We show that the role of the paramagnetic current density in this relationship becomes crucial when considering states with different magnetic quantum numbers $m$. Additionally, varying the magnetic field uncovers a richer complexity for the “band structure” present in ground-state metric spaces, as compared to previous studies varying scalar potentials. The robust nature of the metric-space approach is strengthened by demonstrating the gauge invariance of the related metric for the paramagnetic current density. We go beyond ground-state properties and apply this approach to excited states. The results suggest that, under specific conditions, a universal behavior may exist for the relationships between the physical quantities defining the system.

We experimentally resolve several weakly coupled nuclear spins in diamond using a series of dynamical decoupling controls. Some nuclear spin signals, hidden by decoherence under ordinary dynamical decoupling controls, are shifted forward in time domain to the coherence time range and thus rescued from the fate of being submerged by the noisy spin bath. In this way, more and remote single nuclear spins are resolved. Additionally, the field of detection can be continuously tuned on subnanoscale. This method extends the capacity of nanoscale magnetometry and may be applicable in other systems for high-resolution noise spectroscopy.

Superradiance typically requires preparation of atoms in highly entangled multiparticle states, the so-called Dicke states. In this paper we discuss an alternative route where we prepare such states from initially uncorrelated atoms by a measurement process. By measuring higher-order intensity-intensity correlations we demonstrate that we can simulate the emission characteristics of Dicke superradiance by starting with atoms in the fully excited state. We describe the essence of the scheme by first investigating two excited atoms. Here we demonstrate how via Hanbury Brown and Twiss type of measurements we can produce Dicke superradiance and subradiance displayed commonly with two atoms in the single excited symmetric and antisymmetric Dicke states, respectively. We thereafter generalize the scheme to arbitrary numbers of atoms and detectors, and explain in detail the mechanism which leads to this result. The approach shows that the Hanbury Brown and Twiss type of intensity interference and the phenomenon of Dicke superradiance can be regarded as two sides of the same coin. We also present a compact result for the characteristic functional which generates all order intensity-intensity correlations.

A simple calculation method for photon statistics of frequency-filtered fields is proposed. This method, based on eigenvalue decompositions of superoperators, allows us to study effects on the photon statistics of spectral filtering by various types of filters, such as Gaussian and rectangular filters as well as Lorentzian filters, which is not possible by conventional approaches. As an example, this method is applied to a simulation of quantum dot single-photon emitters, where we found that the efficient choice of the filter types to have pure single photons depends on the excitation conditions, i.e., incoherent or coherent (and resonant) excitations.

Coherence can be induced or stimulated in parametric down-conversion using two or three crystals when, for example, the idler modes of the crystals are aligned. Previous experiments with induced coherence [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 053601 (2015)] focused on which-path information and the role of vacuum fields in realizing complementarity via reduced visibility in single-photon interference. Here we describe experiments comparing induced and stimulated coherence. Different single-photon interference experiments were performed by blocking one of the pump beams in a three-crystal setup. Each counted photon is emitted from one of two crystals and which-way information may or not be available, depending on the setup. Distinctly different results are obtained in the induced and stimulated cases, especially when a variable transmission filter is inserted between the crystals. A simplified theoretical model accounts for all the experimental results and is also used to address the question of whether the phases of the signal and idler fields in parametric down-conversion are correlated.

We analyze the propagation of self-trapped optical beams close to the Fréedericksz threshold in nematic liquid crystals. Accounting for power-dependent changes in walk-off due to the all-optical response, we demonstrate that light beams can switch from positive to negative refraction according to the excitation.

Using a scattered field interference mechanism, we theoretically demonstrate the quantum statistics control with a hybrid system comprised of a quantum emitter and a plasmonic multimode nanocavity. Enhanced through multimode interactions, destructive interference between scattered fields from the emitter and nanocavity is able to change the photon statistics from bunching to antibunching. This transition cannot be explained by treating the plasmonic nanocavity in the dipole approximation. In some specific regions, an effective single-mode model, which is equivalent to the multimode model, is derived by simply shifting the transition frequency and modifying decay rates of the nearby quantum emitter. Superior to the closed optical microcavity, this hybrid system can be used to control the photon statistics without the need for strong coupling, and may find applications in nanoscale refractive index sensing.

We report the direct continuous-in-phase sampling of a regularized $P$ function, the so-called nonclassicality quasiprobability, for squeezed light. Through their negativities, the resulting phase-space representation uncovers the quantum character of the state. In contrast to discrete phase-locked measurements, our approach allows an unconditional verification of nonclassicality by getting rid of interpolation errors due to fixed phases. To realize the equal phase distribution of measured quadratures, a data selection is implemented with quantum random numbers created by measuring the vacuum noise. The continuously measured squeezed field was generated in an optical parametric amplifier. Suitable pattern functions for obtaining the regularized $P$ function are investigated. The significance of detecting negativities in our application is determined. The sampling of nonclassicality quasiprobabilities is shown to be a powerful and universal method to visualize quantum effects within arbitrary quantum states.

The phenomenon of superactivation of quantum nonlocality, i.e., the fact that several copies of a local quantum state when processed together can generate nonlocal correlations, has recently attracted much attention. However, this problem was considered mainly in a bipartite scenario (although some research in a multipartite case was also undertaken). In this paper we give explicit examples of activation of the violation of the Svetlichny inequality. The violation of the Svetlichny inequality is a sufficient condition of genuine tripartite nonlocality. We show that a number of pure GHZ-type states can be activated. We observe also that the amount of violation of the Svetlichny inequality by two copies of the GHZ state increases with an entanglement of a single copy of the state.

Quantum-enhanced metrology can be achieved by entangling a probe with an auxiliary system, passing the probe through an interferometer, and subsequently making measurements on both the probe and auxiliary system. Conceptually, this corresponds to performing metrology with the purification of a (mixed) probe state. We demonstrate via the quantum Fisher information how to design mixed states whose purifications are an excellent metrological resource. In particular, we give examples of mixed states with purifications that allow (near) Heisenberg-limited metrology and provide examples of entangling Hamiltonians that can generate these states. Finally, we present the optimal measurement and parameter-estimation procedure required to realize these sensitivities (i.e., that saturate the quantum Cramér-Rao bound). Since pure states of comparable metrological usefulness are typically challenging to generate, it may prove easier to use this approach of entanglement and measurement of an auxiliary system. An example where this may be the case is atom interferometry, where entanglement with optical systems is potentially easier to engineer than the atomic interactions required to produce nonclassical atomic states.

We propose a simple experimental scheme to generate spin textures in the ground state of interacting ultracold bosonic atoms loaded in a two-dimensional harmonic trap. Our scheme is based on two copropagating Laguerre-Gauss laser beams illuminating the atoms and coupling two of their internal ground state Zeeman sublevels. Using a Gross-Pitaevskii description, we show that the ground state of the atomic system has different topological properties depending on the interaction strength and the laser beam intensity. A half-skyrmion state develops at low interactions while a vortex-antivortex pair develops at large interactions.

We explore the fluorescence signals from a pair of atoms driven towards Rydberg states on a three-level ladder transition. The dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg excited atoms significantly distort the dark state and electromagnetically induced transparency behavior observed with independent atoms and, thus, their steady-state light emission. We calculate and analyze the temporal correlations between intensities and amplitudes of the signals emitted by the atoms and explain their origin in the atomic Rydberg state interactions.

We investigate the effect of the gain dynamics on the motion and interactions of solitons in the frame of a complex Ginzburg-Landau-type model, which accounts for dissipative soliton formation and propagation in a ring fiber laser. It is shown that the gain dynamics modifies the soliton velocity and their interactions. In the presence of an injected continuous wave, an initial crystal of a few solitons gets broken, either into bunches or into individual solitons. Quasielastic collisions analogous to Newton's cradle have been seen. The soliton set may evolve into gas, solitons, or harmonic mode-locked patterns. The time jitter present in the last situation has been considered.

We examine the $N$-partite quaternion and octonion dichotomic Bell inequalities derived by Vogel and Shchukin utilizing the square identities of Euler and Degen, which apply to experiments with $M$ settings at each spatially separated site. We reveal these inequalities to be violated by the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state, for $N\ge 3$ and $2\le M\le 8$. Violations are robust with respect to loss, the threshold detection efficiency being $\eta >2^{\frac{2}{N}-1}$ for all $M$, implying violations for efficiencies as low as $\eta \sim 50\%$ at each site, as $N\to \infty$.

Spatial gaps correspond to the projection in position space of the gaps of a periodic structure whose envelope varies spatially. They can be easily generated in cold atomic physics using finite-size optical lattice, and provide a new kind of tunnel barrier which can be used as a versatile tool for quantum devices. We present in detail different theoretical methods to quantitatively describe these systems, and show how they can be used in one dimension to realize matter wave Fabry-Perot cavities. We also provide experimental and numerical results that demonstrate the interest of spatial gap structures for phase space engineering. We then generalize the concept of spatial gaps in two dimensions and show that this enables one to design multiply connected cavities which generate a quantum dot structure for atoms or allow one to construct curved wave guides for matter waves. At last, we demonstrate that modulating in time the amplitude of the periodic structure offers a wide variety of possible atom manipulations including the control of the scattering of an incoming wave packet, the loading of cavities delimited by spatial gaps, their coupling by multiphonon processes or the realization of a tunable source of atoms. This large range of possibilities offered by space and time engineering of optical lattices demonstrates the flexibility of such band-gap structures for matter wave control, quantum simulators, and atomtronics.

We study theoretically the spatial correlations between the intensities measured at the input and output planes of a disordered scattering medium. We show that at large optical thicknesses, a long-range spatial correlation persists and takes negative values. For small optical thicknesses, short-range and long-range correlations coexist, with relative weights that depend on the optical thickness. These results may have direct implications for the control of wave transmission through complex media by wave-front shaping, thus finding applications in sensing, imaging, and information transfer.