Jian Wang

The hybrid quantum network, a universal form of quantum network which is aimed for quantum communication and distributed quantum computation, is that the quantum nodes in it are realized with different physical systems. This universal form of quantum network can combine the advantages and avoid the inherent defects of the different physical system. However, one obstacle standing in the way is the compatible photonic quantum interface. One possible solution is using non-degenerate, narrow-band, entangled photon pairs as the photonic interface. Here, for the first time, we generate nondegenrate narrow-band polarization-entangled photon pairs in cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion process. The bandwidths and central wavelengths of the signal and idler photons are 9 MHz at 935 nm and 9.5 MHz at 880 nm, which are compatible with trapped ion system and solid-state quantum memory system. The entanglement of the photon source is certified by quantum state tomography, showing a fidelity of 89.6% between the generated quantum state with a Bell state. Besides, a strong violation against Bell inequality with 2.36+/-0.03 further confirms the entanglement property of the photon pairs. Our method is suitable for the hybrid quantum network and will take a big step in this field.

In a hybrid quantum network, linking two kinds of quantum nodes through photonic channels requires excellent matching of central frequency and bandwidth between both nodes and their interfacing photons. However, pre-existing photon sources can not fulfill this requirement. Using a novel conjoined double-cavity strategy, we report the generation of nondegenerate narrow-band photon pairs by cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The central frequencies and bandwidths of the signal and idler photons are independently set to match with trapped ions and solid-state quantum memories. With this source we achieve the bandwidths and central frequencies of 4 MHz at 935 nm and 5 MHz at 880 nm for the signal and idler photons respectively, with a normalized spectrum brightness of 4.9/s/MHz/mW. Due to the ability of being independently locked to two different wavelenghts, the conjoined double-cavity is universally suitable for hybrid quantum network consisting of various quantum nodes.

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism is the paradigm to account for the nonadiabatic dynamics of a system across a continuous phase transition. Its study in the quantum regime is hindered by the requisite of ground state cooling. We report the experimental quantum simulation of critical dynamics in the transverse-field Ising model by a set of Landau-Zener crossings in pseudo-momentum space, that can be probed with high accuracy using a single trapped ion. We test the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in the quantum regime in the momentum space and find the measured scaling of excitations is in accordance with the theoretical prediction.