红外波段单光子探测器及其在量子通信领域中的应用

本文简要介绍了红外波段单光子探测器的种类，分析了InGaAs／InP雪崩光电二极管（InGaAs／InPAPD）与超快超导单光子探测器（SSPD）的相关性能，并概述了二者在量子通信中的应用。     

量子通信中单光子探测器的实验研究

为了提高单光子探测系统的灵敏度,实验采用InGaAs/InP雪崩光电二极管作为量子通信中的单光子探测器件,以门控脉冲模式实现了更高精度的单光子探测器的偏压生成电路、单光子信号放大电路、单光子信号检测电路和温度控制模块,并通过选用高精度前置放大器OP37和精密比较器AD8561,将量子效率提高到18.3%,暗计数控制小于4.1%×10~(-6)/ns.     

1.55 μm升频单光子探测量子密钥分配系统的性能研究

分析了1.55 μm升频单光子探测量子密钥分配(QKD)系统的性能,讨论了升频单光子探测器的主要参数：量子效率和暗计数与抽运功率的关系.比较了BB84协议、BBM92协议和DPSK协议的光纤QKD系统的性能：安全通信速率与距离的关系,通过比较得出升频探测器优于传统的InGaAs/InP雪崩二极管单光子探测器,用升频探测器后的通信距离能比传统的大两倍以上,能很好改善量子通信系统的性能. 关键词： 量子效率 通信速率 暗计数     

基于相关光子的单光子探测器量子效率测量系统

为准确测量近红外波段单光子探测器量子效率,搭建了基于自发参量下转换效应的测量系统.系统利用中心波长为518nm的脉冲激光泵浦周期极化磷酸氧钛钾晶体,通过自发参量下转换过程产生相关光子对,分别测量了Si和InGaAs雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器在778nm和1 550nm波长点的量子效率,并对测量不确定度进行了分析.实验表明,该装置可以测量近红外单光子探测器量子效率参量,测量不确定度均优于1%.     

基于1.5GHz多次谐波超短脉冲门控InGaAs/InP雪崩光电二极管的近红外单光子探测技术研究

提出了一种高速门控盖格模式的铟镓砷/铟磷雪崩光电二极管(InGaAs/InP APD)单光子探测技术。将1.5GHz多次谐波超短脉冲加载到InGaAs/InP APD上,盖革模式下的光生雪崩信号埋藏在短脉冲充放电形成的噪声中,采用700MHz低通滤波器实现了50.6dB的噪声抑制比,有效地提取出了雪崩信号。通过半导体制冷,使InGaAs/InP APD工作在-30℃,1.5GHz短脉冲驱动下的InGaAs/InP APD在1550nm的探测效率为35%,暗计数率为每门6.4×10-5,超过了单纯使用1.5GHz正弦门的探测性能,而且在15%的探测效率下,2.7ns后发生后脉冲的概率仅为每门6.0×10-5。     

红外InGaAs/InP单光子探测器暗计数的研究

在开发探测器灵敏度极限实现单光子探测时,暗计数是影响探测效率的主要原因.本文分析了在红外波段采用InGaAs/InP雪崩光电二极管工作于雪崩击穿电压之上(盖革模式),进行单光子探测时暗计数的三个主要来源,指出隧穿效应对暗计数的贡献是很小的,并且针对热噪声和后脉冲分析了减小暗计数的有效方法.     

红外通信波段SAGM APD单光子探测应用技术研究

研究采用由过度层间隔吸收区与倍增区的InGaAs/InP雪崩光电二极管(SAGM APD)在红外通信波段实现单光子探测的方法,包括管型的选择、特性分析、工作参数以及根据实验结果提出的对这类APD设计制作的改进建议.特别研究目前市售的APD器件用作单光子探测时的实用技术.     

基于APD单光子探测器的光子到达时间标记精度研究EI北大核心CSCD

为了准确测量X射线脉冲星导航中的光子到达时间,提出了一种X射线探测器光子到达时间精度的测试系统,该系统主要由脉冲X射线发生器、任意波形发生器、雪崩光电二极管探测器和时间标记光子计数器组成。系统测量脉冲X射线发生器的控制脉冲信号与雪崩光电二极管探测器测量的输出信号之间的时间延迟,研究时间延迟的分布情况,该分布的标准差可以反映被测探测器的光子到达时间测量精度。实验结果显示,雪崩光电二极管探测器输出信号相比控制信号的时间延迟约9.03 ns,标准差为2.23 ns,即雪崩光电二极管探测器的光子到达时间精度为2.23 ns,表明其能够实现对X射线单光子的快时间响应与高精度标记。     

基于连续和脉冲激光泵浦的相关光子实验比对

为在相关光子定标技术工程化过程中选择合适的泵浦机制及相位匹配模式,开展了基于连续和脉冲激光的相关光子比对实验.采用355nm连续激光泵浦偏硼酸钡晶体产生相关光子对,对晶体吸收、透射损耗以及光学元件透过率进行测量和修正,同时使用基于时间幅度转换的符合测量方法,得到单光子探测器量子效率为59.15%.利用518nm脉冲激光泵浦周期极化磷酸钛氧钾晶体,采用准相位匹配技术获取相同波段的相关光子,基于时间幅度转换的符合测量方法得到单光子探测器量子效率为59%.比对实验结果,两套定标装置方法的测量结果之差在0.25%以内,主要误差来源于单光子探测器的响应非线性、光路透过率修正误差和单光子探测量子效率面非均匀性.实验结果验证了相关光子定标技术可随时随地复现的优点,以及相关光子定标结果不受泵浦机制差异和实验装置差异的影响,可为相关光子技术工程化中的激光器工作模式和相位匹配方式的选择提供参考依据.     

高时间稳定性的雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器

雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器是一种具有超高灵敏度的光电探测器件,在远距离激光测距、激光成像和量子通信等领域有非常重要的应用.然而,由于雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器的雪崩点对工作温度高度敏感,因此在外场环境下工作时容易出现增益波动,继而导致单光子探测器输出信号的延时发生漂移,严重降低了探测器的时间稳定性.本文发展了一种稳定输出延时的方法,采用嵌入式系统控制雪崩光电二极管,使其处于恒定温度,并实时补偿由环境温度引起的延时漂移,实现了雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器的高时间稳定性探测.实验中,环境温度从16 ℃变化到36 ℃,雪崩光电二极管的工作温度稳定在15 ℃,经过延时补偿,雪崩光电二极管单光子探测器输出延时漂移小于±1 ps,时间稳定度达到0.15 ps@100 s.这项工作有望为全天候野外条件和空间极端条件下的高精度单光子探测应用提供有效的解决方法.     

两个独立全光纤多通道光子纠缠源的Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉

独立光子源的干涉是实现复杂量子体系应用(比如多光子纠缠态产生和量子隐形传态等)的核心技术.利用100 GHz密集波分复用技术,实现了1.55μm全光纤多通道独立纠缠光子源的Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉,在不去除暗符合(随机符合计数)的情况下,可见度为53.2%±8.4%,去除暗符合可见度可达到82.9%±5.3%.给出了关于色散位移光纤中基于自发四波混频过程产生的单光子光谱纯度严格的理论描述,模拟了抽运脉冲宽度和滤波器带宽对单光子光谱纯度的影响,并给出了理论上的最佳条件(最佳的抽运脉冲宽度为8 ps,高斯滤波器带宽为40 GHz及以下).在测量Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉之前,先测量了液氮冷却状态下的色散位移光纤关联光子源的符合和随机符合比率,在抽运功率为23μW的情况下,最大比率可以达到131.Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉在高精度光学测量、测量装置无关的量子密钥分配等应用中扮演着极为重要的角色.     

Single-photon detector for long-distance fiber-optic quantum key distribution

We have investigated the performance of an InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode for photon counting at 1550 nm in the temperature range of thermoelectric cooling. A quantum efficiency of 13.7% was obtained at -55 degrees C , while the dark-count probability per gate (?1 ns) was kept as small as 2.4x10(-5) . The developed single-photon detector would yield a 104.4-km fiber-optic quantum key distribution in the ideal condition.     

纠缠光子法绝对定标光电探测器量子效率的研究

为了应对国际上“坎德拉”新定义的动向,开展了利用纠缠光子法测量光电探测器量子效率的研究,并建立了测量装置。装置采用351.1 nm连续激光抽运BBO晶体产生纠缠光子场,然后通过双通道门控计数器组成的符合测量系统在702.2 nm和788.7 nm两个波长点对光电倍增管的量子效率进行了测量。同时对单光子脉冲信号获取、噪声抑制及提取、符合时间特性、偶然符合、暗背景计数和器件透过率等影响测量结果的关键因素进行了实验分析并给出了修正分量,最终在两个波长点量子效率测量不确定度小于0.7%。     

3D photon counting imaging at 1550 nm with 1.5-GHz sine-wave-gated InGaAs/InP GAPD

We demonstrated a 3D laser imaging system at 1550 nm with a 1.5-GHz sine-wave gated Geiger-mode InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode (APD). An optical fiber bundle with 100 individual fiber outputs was implemented at the focal plane of the telescope, providing a 2.5-mrad imaging view. The system used single-pixel near-infrared single-photon detector to measure photons at fiber outputs instead of a photon counting array. The 1.5-GHz gated Geiger-mode InGaAs/InP APD with a timing jitter of 290 ps was operated in quasi-continuous mode with detection efficiency of ∼4.3%. We achieved higher than 6-cm surface-to-surface resolution at single-photon level, showing a potential of low-energy and eye-safe laser imaging system for long-distance measurements.     

Experimental demonstration of switching entangled photons based on the Rydberg blockade effect

The long-range interaction between Rydberg-excited atoms endows a medium with large optical nonlinearity. Here, we demonstrate an optical switch to operate on a single photon from an entangled photon pair under a Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency configuration. With the presence of the Rydberg blockade effect, we switch on a gate field to make the atomic medium nontransparent thereby absorbing the single photon emitted from another atomic ensemble via the spontaneous fourwave mixing process. In contrast to the case without a gate field, more than 50% of the photons sent to the switch are blocked,and finally achieve an effective single-photon switch. There are on average 1-2 gate photons per effective blockade sphere in one gate pulse. This switching effect on a single entangled photon depends on the principal quantum number and the photon number of the gate field. Our experimental progress is significant in the quantum information process especially in controlling the interaction between Rydberg atoms and entangled photon pairs.     

Time-resolved single-photon detection by femtosecond upconversion

We demonstrate a time-resolved single-photon detection technique based on ultrafast sum-frequency generation, providing femtosecond measurement capability for single photons in photonic quantum information processing. Noncollinear broadband upconversion in periodically poled MgO-doped stoichiometric lithium tantalate with an ultrafast pump and detection with a Si single-photon counter enable efficient detection of IR photons and temporal resolution of ~150 fs. We utilize the timing resolution to map the generation efficiency profile along the propagation axis of a periodically poled KTiOPO(4) crystal, revealing its local grating quality with millimeter resolution. We also apply the technique to two-photon coincidence measurements and directly demonstrate time anticorrelation between coincident-frequency entangled photons that are parametrically generated under extended phase-matching conditions.     

Deutsch-jozsa algorithm using triggered single photons from a single quantum dot

We demonstrate a two-qubit Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm with single photons from a single InP quantum dot. The qubits are implemented via the spatial mode and the polarization of a single photon. Our photon source is operated both under continuous and pulsed excitation, the latter allowing deterministic quantum logic by generating photons on demand with a strong suppression of two-photon events. The computation reached a success probability of up to 79%. We also exploit the concept of decoherence-free subspaces that helps to make our experimental setup robust against sources of phase noise.     

High-performance guided-wave asynchronous heralded single-photon source

We report on a guided-wave asynchronous heralded single-photon source based on the creation of nondegenerate photon pairs by spontaneous parametric downconversion in a periodically poled lithium niobate wave-guide. We show that, by use of the signal photon at 1310 nm as a trigger, a gated detection process permits announcement of the arrival of single photons at 1550 nm at the output of a single-mode optical fiber with a high probability of 0.37. At the same time the multiphoton emission probability is reduced by a factor of 10 compared with Poissonian light sources. Furthermore, the model we have developed to calculate those figures of merit is shown to be accurate. This study can therefore serve as a paradigm for the conception of new quantum communication and computation networks.     

Deterministic and storable single-photon source based on a quantum memory

A single-photon source is realized with a cold atomic ensemble (87Rb atoms). A single excitation, written in an atomic quantum memory by Raman scattering of a laser pulse, is retrieved deterministically as a single photon at a predetermined time. It is shown that the production rate of single photons can be enhanced considerably by a feedback circuit while the single-photon quality is conserved. Such a single-photon source is well suited for future large-scale realization of quantum communication and linear optical quantum computation.