• Optical Non-Reciprocity in Coupled Resonators Inspired by Photosynthetic Energy Transfer

    Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19

    Abstract: Inspired by the photosynthetic energy transfer process, we theoretically propose a method to realize non-reciprocal optical transmission in an array of coupled resonators. The optical non-reciprocity of the coupled resonators arises from the frequency gradient between adjacent cavities and the interaction with the environment, which is similar to photosynthetic energy transfer. An increase in the frequency gradient or the number of the cavities can lead to better non-reciprocity. However, although a higher environment temperature will increase the total photon number in the coupled cavities, non-reciprocity will be weakened. All these findings can be well described by the detailed balance. Our discovery reveals the similarity between the noise-induced optical non-reciprocity and exciton energy transfer in natural photosynthesis.

  • Criticality-Based Quantum Metrology in the Presence of Decoherence

    Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19

    Abstract: Quantum metrology aims to use quantum resources to improve the precision of measurement. Quantum criticality has been presented as a novel and efficient resource. Generally, protocols of criticality-based quantum metrology often work without decoherence. In this paper, we address the issue whether the divergent feature of the inverted variance is indeed realizable in the presence of noise when approaching the QPT. Taking the quantum Rabi model (QRM) as an example, we obtain the analytical result for the inverted variance. We show that the inverted variance may be convergent in time due to the noise. When approaching the critical point, the maximum inverted variance demonstrates a power-law increase with the exponent -1.2, of which the absolute value is smaller than that for the noise-free case, i.e., 2. We also observe a power-law dependence of the maximum inverted variance on the relaxation rate and the temperature. Since the precision of the metrology is very sensitive to the noise, as a remedy, we propose performing the squeezing operation on the initial state to improve the precision under decoherence. In addition, we also investigate the criticality-based metrology under the influence of the two-photon relaxation. Contrary to the single-photon relaxation, the quantum dynamics of the inverted variance shows a completely-different behavior. It does not oscillate with the same frequency with respect to the re-scaled time for different dimensionless coupling strengths. Strikingly, although the maximum inverted variance still manifests a power-law dependence on the energy gap, the exponent is positive and depends on the dimensionless coupling strength. This observation implies that the criticality may not enhance but weaken the precision in the presence of two-photon relaxation. It can be well described by the non-linearity introduced by the two-photon relaxation.

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