Quantum Information Propagation Preserving Computational Electromagnetics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a numerical canonical quantization method for quantum Maxwell's equations, enabling accurate modeling of quantum optics in complex media and facilitating quantum-optical simulations that could replace many physical experiments.

Contribution

It develops a numerical approach to construct normal modes for inhomogeneous media, allowing quantum Maxwell's equations to be solved computationally with high fidelity.

Findings

Successfully modeled Hong-Ou-Mandel interference numerically.

Demonstrated the construction of normal modes in complex dielectric media.

Provided numerical recipes for quantum electromagnetic simulations.

Abstract

We propose a new methodology, called numerical canonical quantization, to solve quantum Maxwell's equations useful for mathematical modeling of quantum optics physics, and numerical experiments on arbitrary passive and lossless quantum-optical systems. It is based on: (1) the macroscopic (phenomenological) electromagnetic theory on quantum electrodynamics (QED), and (2) concepts borrowed from computational electromagnetics. It was shown that canonical quantization in inhomogeneous dielectric media required definite and proper normal modes. Here, instead of ad-hoc analytic normal modes, we numerically construct complete and time-reversible normal modes in the form of traveling waves to diagonalize the Hamiltonian. Specifically, we directly solve the Helmholtz wave equations for a general linear, reciprocal, isotropic, non-dispersive, and inhomogeneous dielectric media by using either finite-element or finite-difference methods. To convert a scattering problem with infinite number of modes into one with a finite number of modes, we impose Bloch-periodic boundary conditions. This will sparsely sample the normal modes with numerical Bloch-Floquet-like normal modes. Subsequent procedure of numerical canonical quantization is straightforward using linear algebra. We provide relevant numerical recipes in detail and show an important numerical example of indistinguishable two-photon interference in quantum beam splitters, exhibiting Hong-Ou-Mandel effect, which is purely a quantum effect. Also, the present methodology provides a way of numerically investigating existing or new macroscopic QED theories. It will eventually allow quantum-optical numerical experiments of high fidelity to replace many real experiments as in classical electromagnetics.