Device-independent certification of high-dimensional quantum systems.

An important problem in quantum information processing is the certification of the dimension of quantum systems without making assumptions about the devices used to prepare and measure them, that is, in a device-independent manner. A crucial question is whether such certification is experimentally feasible for high-dimensional quantum systems. Here we experimentally witness in a device-independent manner the generation of six-dimensional quantum systems encoded in the orbital angular momentum of single photons and show that the same method can be scaled, at least, up to dimension 13.

Model, analysis, and evaluation of the effects of analog VLSI arithmetic on linear subspace-based image recognition.

Typical image recognition systems operate in two stages: feature extraction to reduce the dimensionality of the input space, and classification based on the extracted features. Analog Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) is an attractive technology to achieve compact and low-power implementations of these computationally intensive tasks for portable embedded devices. However, device mismatch limits the resolution of the circuits fabricated with this technology.

Bounded dynamics in finite PT-symmetric magnetic metamaterials.

We examine the PT-symmetry-breaking transition for a magnetic metamaterial of a finite extent, modeled as an array of coupled split-ring resonators in the equivalent circuit model approximation. Small-size arrays are solved completely in closed form, while for arrays larger than N=5 results were computed numerically for several gain and loss spatial distributions. In all cases, it is found that the parameter stability window decreases rapidly with the size of the array, until at N=20 approximately it is not possible to support a stable PT-symmetric phase.

Characterization of Chromobacterium violaceum pigment through a hyperspectral imaging system.

In this paper, a comprehensive spatio-spectral and temporal analysis for Chromobacterium violaceum colonies is reported. A hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system is used to recover the spectral signatures of pigment production in a non-homogeneous media with high spectral resolution and high sensitivity in vivo, without destructing the sample. This non-contact sensing technique opens avenues to study the temporal growing of a specific section in the bacterial colony.

Mobility of solitons in one-dimensional lattices with the cubic-quintic nonlinearity.

We investigate mobility regimes for localized modes in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equation with the cubic-quintic on-site terms. Using the variational approximation, the largest soliton's total power admitting progressive motion of kicked discrete solitons is predicted by comparing the effective kinetic energy with the respective Peierls-Nabarro (PN) potential barrier. The prediction, for the DNLS model with the cubic-only nonlinearity too, demonstrates a reasonable agreement with numerical findings.

Long-distance distribution of genuine energy-time entanglement.

Any practical realization of entanglement-based quantum communication must be intrinsically secure and able to span long distances avoiding the need of a straight line between the communicating parties. The violation of Bell's inequality offers a method for the certification of quantum links without knowing the inner workings of the devices. Energy-time entanglement quantum communication satisfies all these requirements.

Self-trapping transition in nonlinear cubic lattices.

We explore the fundamental question of the critical nonlinearity value needed to dynamically localize energy in discrete nonlinear cubic (Kerr) lattices. We focus on the effective frequency and participation ratio of the profile to determine the transition into localization in one-, two-, and three-dimensional lattices. A simple and general criterion is developed, for the case of an initially localized excitation, to define the transition region in parameter space ("dynamical tongue") from a delocalized to a localized profile.

Self-trapping threshold in disordered nonlinear photonic lattices.

We investigate numerically and experimentally the influence of coupling disorder on the self-trapping dynamics in nonlinear one-dimensional optical waveguide arrays. The existence of a lower and upper bound of the effective average propagation constant allows for a generalized definition of the threshold power for the onset of soliton localization. When compared to perfectly ordered systems, this threshold is found to decrease in the presence of coupling disorder.

Enhanced distribution of a wave-packet in lattices with disorder and nonlinearity.

We show, numerically and experimentally, that the presence of weak disorder results in an enhanced energy distribution of an initially localized wave-packet, in one- and two-dimensional finite lattices. The addition of a focusing nonlinearity facilitates the spreading effect even further by increasing the wave-packet effective size. We find a clear transition between the regions of enhanced spreading (weak disorder) and localization (strong disorder).

Real-time study of shape and thermal fluctuations in the echinocyte transformation of human erythrocytes using defocusing microscopy.

We present a real-time method to measure the amplitude of thermal fluctuations in biological membranes by means of a new treatment of the defocusing microscopy (DM) optical technique. This approach was also applied to study the deformation of human erythrocytes to its echinocyte structure. This was carried out by making three-dimensional shape reconstructions of the cell and measuring the thermal fluctuations of its membrane, as the cell is exposed to the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen and as it recovers its original shape, when it is subsequently cleansed of the drug.

Active optics for dynamical correction of fluctuations of atmospheric refraction on a differential optical absorption spectroscopy device.

We have designed and developed a feedback mechanism for continuous monitoring in a long-pass differential optical absorption spectroscopy (LP-DOAS) setup. This allows one to correct photo-thermal deflection due to the local fluctuations refraction index of the air. For this purpose, using an unbalanced beam splitter, a small fraction of the collected DOAS signal is imaged onto a low-cost CCD camera using a biconvex lens, while the other portion of the signal is coupled into a fiber optic for trace gas detection.

Experimental quantum tomography of photonic qudits via mutually unbiased basis.

We present the experimental quantum tomography of 7- and 8-dimensional quantum systems based on projective measurements in the mutually unbiased basis (MUB-QT). One of the advantages of MUB-QT is that it requires projections from a minimal number of bases to be performed. In our scheme, the higher dimensional quantum systems are encoded using the propagation modes of single photons, and we take advantage of the capabilities of amplitude- and phase-modulation of programmable spatial light modulators to implement the MUB-QT.

Superresolution imaging in optical tweezers using high-speed cameras.

High-speed cameras are reliable alternatives for the direct characterization of optical trap force and particle motion in optical tweezers setups, replacing indirect motion measurements often performed by quadrant detectors. In the present approach, subpixel motion data of the trapped particle is retrieved from a high-speed low-resolution video sequence. Due to the richness structure of motion diversity of microscopic trapped particles, which are subjected to a Brownian motion, we propose to also use the obtained motion information for tackling the inherent lack of resolution by applying superresolution algorithms on the low-resolution image sequence.

Processing information by punctuated spin superradiance.

The possibility of realizing the regime of punctuated spin superradiance is advanced. In this regime, the number of superradiant pulses and the temporal intervals between them can be regulated. This makes it feasible to compose a kind of a Morse code alphabet and, hence, to develop a technique of processing information.

Stochastic instability of quasi-isolated systems.

The stability of solutions to evolution equations with respect to small stochastic perturbations is considered. The stability of a stochastic dynamical system is characterized by the local stability index. The limit of this index with respect to infinite time describes the asymptotic stability of a stochastic dynamical system.