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Highlights for Q-ESSENCE


Quantum interferometric visibility as a witness of general relativistic proper time

Current attempts to probe general relativistic effects in quantum mechanics focus on precision measurements of phase shifts in matterwave interferometry. Yet, phase shifts can always be explained as arising because of an AharonovBohm effect, where a particle in a flat spacetime is subject to an effective potential. Here we propose a quantum effect that cannot be explained without the general relativistic notion of proper time.

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Mapping coherence in measurement: Full quantum tomography of a hybrid optical detector

Quantum states and measurements exhibit wave-like - continuous, or particle-like - discrete, character. Hybrid discrete-continuous quantum optical systems are key to investigating funda- mental quantum phenomena such as the violation of local realism by Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen states, measuring non-classical correlations of radiation fields and superpositions of macro- scopic states, and form essential resources for quantum-enhanced applications and high- efficient optical telecommunications.

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Feasible optical weak measurements of complementary observables via a single Hamiltonian

We show that the process of three-wave mixing in a non-linear crystal (such as employed in down conversion processes) can be used for versatile weak measurements. That is the crystal field interaction Hamiltonian enables weak measurements of pairs of complementary variables. To obtain the weak value of variable $A$ one has to perform weak measurements twice. This seems to be drawback, but as a compensation we get for free the weak value of a complementary variable $B$.

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Pulsed quantum optomechanics

Studying mechanical resonators via radiation pressure offers a rich avenue for the exploration of quantum mechanical behavior in a macroscopic regime. However, quantum state preparation and especially quantum state reconstruction of mechanical oscillators remains a significant challenge. Here we propose a scheme to realize quantum state tomography, squeezing, and state purification of a mechanical resonator using short optical pulses.

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Long-term performance of the SwissQuantum quantum key distribution network in a field environment

In this paper, we report on the performance of the SwissQuantum quantum key distribution (QKD) network. The network was installed in the Geneva metropolitan area and ran for more than one-and-a-half years, from the end of March 2009 to the beginning of January 2011. The main goal of this experiment was to test the reliability of the quantum layer over a long period of time in a production environment. A key management layer has been developed to manage the key between the three nodes of the network.

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