Recently, there has been increased attention toward 3D imaging using single-pixel single-photon detection (also known as temporal data) due to its potential advantages in terms of cost and power efficiency. However, to eliminate the symmetry blur in the reconstructed images, a fixed background is required. This paper proposes a fusion-data-based 3D imaging method that utilizes a single-pixel single-photon detector and millimeter-wave radar to capture temporal histograms of a scene from multiple perspectives. Subsequently, the 3D information can be reconstructed from the one-dimensional fusion temporal data by using an artificial neural network. Both the simulation and experimental results demonstrate that our fusion method effectively eliminates symmetry blur and improves the quality of the reconstructed images.

We demonstrate a high-performance acousto-optic modulator-based bi-frequency interferometer, which can realize either beating or beating free interference for a single-photon level quantum state. Visibility and optical efficiency of the interferometer are (99.5±0.2)% and (95±1)%, respectively. The phase of the interferometer is actively stabilized by using a dithering phase-locking scheme, where the phase dithering is realized by directly driving the acousto-optic modulators with a specially designed electronic signal. We further demonstrate applications of the interferometer in quantum technology, including bi-frequency coherent combination, frequency tuning, and optical switching. These results show the interferometer is a versatile device for multiple quantum technologies.

Phase-coherent multi-tone lasers play a critical role in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. Among them, the Raman opeartion laser for manipulating atomic hyperfine qubits requires gigahertz bandwidth and low phase noise to retain long-term coherence. Raman operation lasers generated by directly modulated and frequency-multipled infrared lasers are compact and stable but lack feedback control to actively suppress the phase noise, which limits their performance in practical applications. In this work, we employ a fiber electro-optical modulator driven by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to modulate a monochromatic laser and employ a second-harmonic generation process to convert it to the visible domain, where the beat note of the Raman operation laser is stabilized by controlling the output frequency of VCO with a digital phase-locked loop (PLL). The low-frequency phase noise is effectively suppressed compared to the scheme without active feedback and it reaches -80dBc/Hz@5kHz with a 20 kHz loop bandwidth. Furthermore, this compact and robust scheme effectively reduces the system’s complexity and cost, which is promising for extensive application in atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

Quantum parameter estimation is a crucial tool for inferring unknown parameters in physical models from experimental data. The Jaynes–Cummings model is a widely used model in quantum optics that describes the interaction between an atom and a single-mode quantum optical field. In this Letter, we systematically investigate the problem of estimating the atom-light coupling strength in this model and optimize the initial state in the full Hilbert space. We compare the precision limits achievable for different optical field quantum states, including coherent states, amplitude- and phase-squeezed states, and provide experimental suggestions with an easily prepared substitute for the optimal state. Our results provide valuable insights into optimizing quantum parameter estimation in the Jaynes–Cummings model and can have practical implications for quantum metrology with hybrid quantum systems.

The sensitivity of optical measurement is ultimately constrained by the shot noise to the standard quantum limit. It has become a common concept that beating this limit requires quantum resources. A deep-learning neural network free of quantum principle has the capability of removing classical noise from images, but it is unclear in reducing quantum noise. In a coincidence-imaging experiment, we show that quantum-resource-free deep learning can be exploited to surpass the standard quantum limit via the photon-number-dependent nonlinear feedback during training. Using an effective classical light with photon flux of about 9×104 photons per second, our deep-learning-based scheme achieves a 14 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio with respect to the standard quantum limit.

Multimode photonic quantum memory could enhance the information processing speed in a quantum repeater-based quantum network. A large obstacle that impedes the storage of the spatial multimode in a hot atomic ensemble is atomic diffusion, which severely disturbs the structure of the retrieved light field. In this paper, we demonstrate that the elegant Ince-Gaussian (eIG) mode possesses the ability to resist such diffusion. Our experimental results show that the overall structure of the eIG modes under different parameters maintains well after microseconds of storage. In contrast, the standard IG modes under the same circumstance are disrupted and become unrecognizable. Our findings could promote the construction of quantum networks based on room-temperature atoms.

Reliable generation of single photons is of key importance for fundamental physical experiments and quantum protocols. The periodically poled lithium niobate (LN) waveguide has shown promise for an integrated quantum source due to its large spectral tunability and high efficiency, benefiting from the quasi-phase-matching. Here we demonstrate photon-pair sources based on an LN waveguide periodically poled by a tightly focused femtosecond laser beam. The pair coincidence rate reaches ∼8000 counts per second for average pump power of 3.2 mW (peak power is 2.9 kW). Our results prove the possibility of application of the nonlinear photonics structure fabricated by femtosecond laser to the integrated quantum source. This method can be extended to three-dimensional domain structures, which provide a potential platform for steering the spatial degree of freedom of the entangled two-photon states.

Remarkable progress has been made in satellite-based quantum key distribution (QKD), which can effectively provide QKD service even at the intercontinental scale and construct an ultralong-distance global quantum network. But there are still some places where terrestrial fiber and ground stations cannot be constructed, like harsh mountainous areas and air space above the sea. So the airborne platform is expected to replace the ground station and provide flexible and relay links for the large-scale integrated communication network. However, the photon transmission rate would be randomly reduced, owing to the randomly distributed boundary layer that surrounds the surface of the aircraft when the flight speed is larger than 0.3 Ma. Previous research of airborne QKD with boundary layer effects is mainly under the air-to-ground scenario in which the aircraft is a transmitter, while the satellite-to-aircraft scenario is rarely reported. In this article, we propose a performance evaluation scheme of satellite-to-aircraft QKD with boundary layer effects in which the aircraft is the receiver. With common experimental settings, the boundary layer would introduce a ∼31dB loss to the transmitted photons, decrease ∼47% of the quantum communication time, and decrease ∼51% of the secure key rate, which shows that the aero-optical effects caused by the boundary layer cannot be ignored. Our study can be performed in future airborne quantum communication designs.

We report an all-fiber telecom-band energy-time entangled biphoton source with all physical elements integrated into a compact cabinet. At a pump power of 800 µW, the photon pairs generation rate reaches 6.9 MHz with the coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) better than 1150. The long-term stability of the biphoton source is characterized by measuring the Hong–Ou–Mandel interference visibility and CAR within a continuous operation period of more than 10 h. Benefiting from the advantages of compact size, light weight, and high stability, this device provides a convenient resource for various field turnkey quantum communication and metrology applications.

The ultracold molecule is a promising candidate for versatile quantum tasks due to its long-range interaction and rich internal rovibrational states. With the help of the cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects, an optical cavity can be employed to increase the efficiency of the formation of the photoassociated molecules and offers a non-demolition detection of the internal states of molecules. Here, we demonstrate the production of the high-finesse optical fiber microcavity for the Rb2 molecule cavity QED experiment, which includes the fabrication of fiber-based cavity mirrors, testing, and the assembly of ultra-high vacuum-compatible optical fiber microcavity. The optical fiber microcavity offers high cooperativity between cavity mode and ultracold molecule and paves the way for the study of molecule cavity QED experimental research.