Entangled photons and ultracold atoms for studies of fundamental quantum mechanics and applications to quantum information

我的研究小组使用纠缠光子和超冷原子来研究新的量子现象，特别是与量子信息科学中令人兴奋的新应用所带来的挑战和问题有关，并研究量子力学中的基础问题。在过去的15年里，量子系统控制的实验能力已经达到了一个合理的水平，可以期待广泛的应用，从量子信息处理到反应的相干控制，再到以前难以处理的系统的量子模拟。特别是，现在人们已经很清楚，量子信息与经典信息在质量上是不同的，国际上正在努力建立这样的系统，使我们能够利用量子信息处理的指数级能力。在接下来的五年里，我们主要提出(1)开发先进的技术来产生新的多光子纠缠态，并研究它们的性质和应用；(2)利用我们的光学晶格实验，在控制量子器件的长期问题背景下，进一步研究量子控制和测量技术；(3)利用我们新开发的原子就绪量子光源，结合我们的超冷原子，研究量子光-物质相互作用的新范式；(4)利用我们的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚与时变势的相互作用来解决长期存在的隧穿时间问题和量子力学中的其他基本问题；(5)继续对应用量子测量的不同范式进行光学研究。目标(3)是一个特别及时的探索，因为最近的建议使它看起来像是量子水平的光学非线性可能触手可及，并且还展示了如何使用它们来构建量子计算机。我们已经开发出一种系统，可以产生宇宙中最冷的原子，以及世界上光谱亮度最高的纠缠光子源，我们处于一个绝佳的位置，可以接受这一激动人心的挑战。

My research group uses both entangled photons and ultracold atoms to study novel quantum phenomena, specifically in relation to the challenges and questions raised by the exciting new applications in quantum information science, and to studying foundational issues in quantum mechanics. Over the past 15 years, experimental capabilities for control of quantum systems have reached a level that makes it reasonable to expect widespread applications, ranging from quantum information processing to coherent control of reactions to quantum simulations of previously intractable systems. In particular, it is now well understood that quantum information is qualitatively different from its classical cousin, and a large international effort aims at building the systems which will allow us to take advantage of the exponential power of quantum information processing. Over the next five years, we propose principally to (1) develop advanced techniques for generating novel multi-photon entangled states, and investigate their properties and applications; (2) use our optical lattice experiment to further study quantum control and measurement techniques in the context of the long-term problem of controlling quantum devices; (3) use our newly-developed atom-ready source of quantum light in conjunction with our ultracold atoms to study new paradigms in quantum light-matter interactions; (4) use the interactions of our Bose-Einstein condensate with time-dependent potentials to address long-standing questions over tunneling times and other fundamental issues in quantum mechanics; and (5) continue our optical studies of different paradigms of applied quantum measurement. Goal (3) is a particularly timely quest, as recent proposals make it look like optical nonlinearities at the quantum level may be within reach, and have also shown how they could be used to build a quantum computer. Having developed a system for producing some of the coldest atoms in the universe, along with the highest-spectral-brightness source of entangled photons in the world, we are in an excellent position to take on this exciting challenge.