利用光纤中自发四波混频产生纠缠光子的实验装置

基于三阶非线性Kerr效应在光纤中产生非线性现象的理论,利用零色散位移光纤中的自发四波混频通过两种实验装置产生了纠缠光子：一种是采用脉冲光抽运由光纤构成的Sagnac光纤环;另一种是采用脉冲光直接抽运一段光纤.通过对不同装置下实验结果的比较,总结了产生高纯度纠缠光子所需的实验条件,并指出了两种装置各自的优缺点.这为研制适用于量子通信的全光纤纠缠光源和单光子源奠定了基础. 关键词： 纠缠光子 光纤 四波混频 量子通信     

Differential-phase quantum key distribution experiment using a series of quantum entangled photon pairs

We report what we believe to be the first differential-phase quantum key distribution experiment using a series of quantum entangled photon pairs. We employed two outstanding techniques. As an entangled photon source, we used a 1.5 microm band entangled photon pair source based on spontaneous four-wave mixing in a cooled dispersion-shifted fiber. As receivers, photon pairs were actively phase modulated with LiNbO3 phase modulators followed by very stable planar light-wave circuit Mach-Zehnder interferometers, which provided two nonorthogonal measurements. As a consequence, we successfully generated sifted keys with a quantum bit error rate of 8.3% and a key generation rate of 0.3 bit/s and revealed the feasibility of this QKD scheme.     

Fiber-based source of photon pairs at telecom band with high temporal coherence and brightness for quantum information processing

We experimentally demonstrate a bright pulsed source of correlated photon pairs at the 1550 nm telecom band by pumping 300 m dispersion-shifted fiber with a 4 ps pulse train. We investigate the coherence property of the source by measuring the second-order intensity correlation function g(2) of individual signal (idler) photons. A preliminary Hong-Ou-Mandel-type two-photon interference experiment with two such sources confirms the high temporal and spatial coherence of the source. The source is suitable for multiphoton quantum interference of independent sources, which is required in quantum information processing.     

Quantum Key Distribution Network Based on Differential Phase Shift

Using a series of quantum correlated photon pairs, we propose a theoretical scheme for any-to-any multi-user quantum key distribution network based on differential phase shift. The differential phase shift and the different detection time slots ensure the security of our scheme against eavesdropping. We discuss the security under the intercept-resend attack and the source replacement attack.     

Generation of photon pairs in dispersion shift fibers through spontaneous four wave mixing: Influence of self-phase modulation

Correlated signal and idler photon pairs with small detuning in the telecom band can be generated through spontaneous four-wave mixing in dispersion shift fibers. However, photons originated from other nonlinear processes in optical fibers, such as Raman scattering and self-phase modulation, may contaminate the photon pairs. It has been proved that photons produced by Raman scattering are the background noise of photon pairs. Here we show that photons induced by self-phase modulation of pump pulses are another origin of background noise. After studying the dependence of self-phase modulation induced photons in signal and idler bands, we demonstrate that the quantum correlation of photon pairs can be degraded by the self-phase modulation effect. The investigations are useful for characterizing and optimizing an all fiber source of photon pairs.     

Beamlike high-brightness source of polarization-entangled photon pairs

We report on an ultrabright beamlike source of polarization-entangled photon pairs that is suitable for the task of multiphoton quantum information processing. The photon pairs are generated from a beamlike type-II parametric downconversion process in two adjacently located but 180 degrees rotated beta-barium borate crystals. Approximately 30,000 s(-1) entangled photon pairs are recorded experimentally with only 100 mW pump power. The fidelity of the generated entangled state as compared with a Bell state is measured to be 0.974 with the method of quantum state tomography. With this source, we also obtain a violation of Bell's inequality by 61 standard deviations in just a few seconds.     

远距离量子通信实验中的高维纠缠源

设计了适用于远距离量子通信实验的高维纠缠源.利用连续激光器抽运产生了极化-时间两体四维纠缠光子对,在抽运功率20 mW下测到每秒700对符合,保真度为89%±3%.相比已有的高维纠缠源,在本文中发展的源具有传输便利、相位稳定性好等优点,适用于未来远距离高维量子通信实验和量子力学基本问题实验检验,如远距离高维量子密码实验、两粒子Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger定理检验、两粒子量子赝"心灵感应"(quantum pseudo telepathy)实验演示等. 关键词： 高维纠缠 极化纠缠 时间箱纠缠 量子通信     

基于Ⅱ类周期极化铌酸锂波导的通信波段小型化频率纠缠源产生及其量子特性测量

自发参量下转换过程制备的纠缠光源在量子光学及其相关领域有着广泛的应用.本文利用780 nm的分布式布拉格反射镜激光二极管抽运一块长10 mm的Ⅱ类准相位匹配的周期极化铌酸锂波导,产生了偏振正交的频率反关联纠缠光子对.通过实验结果与理论的完美结合得到,当进入波导的抽运光功率为44.9 mW时,下转换双光子对的产生速率为1.87×10~7s~(-1).利用单色仪对下转换光子的频谱进行分析,得到信号和闲置光子的中心波长分别为1561.43 nm和1561.45 nm,频谱宽度为3.62 nm和3.60 nm,双光子符合包络宽度约为3.18 nm,可以得到双光子的频率纠缠度为1.131.00,表征了双光子的频率纠缠特性.利用Hong-Ou-Mandel干涉仪测量双光子的二阶量子干涉特性,测得的干涉可见度为96.1%,干涉图谱的凹陷宽度为1.47 ps.     

Efficient generation of correlated photon pairs in a microstructure fiber

We report efficient generation of correlated photon pairs through degenerate four-wave mixing in a microstructure fiber. With 735.7 nm pump pulses producing correlated signal (688.5 nm) and idler (789.8 nm) photons in a 1.8 m microstructure fiber, we detect photon pairs at a rate of 37.6 kHz with a coincidence/ accidental contrast of 10:1 with deltalambda = 0.7 nm. This is the highest rate to our knowledge reported to date in a fiber-based photon source. The light source is highly nonclassical as defined by the Zou-Wang-Mandel inequality, which is violated by 1100 times the uncertainty.     

Optimal quantum cloning on a beam splitter

We demonstrate how a beam splitter in combination with different light sources can be used as an optimal universal 1-->2 quantum cloner and as an optimal universal quantum NOT machine for the polarization qubit of a single photon. For the cloning a source of single photons with maximally mixed polarization is required and for the NOT operation a source of maximally entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate both operations with near optimal fidelity. Our scheme can be generalized in a natural way to clone and NOT the spin state of electrons.     

Entanglement formation and violation of Bell's inequality with a semiconductor single photon source

We report the generation of polarization-entangled photons, using a quantum dot single photon source, linear optics, and photodetectors. Two photons created independently are observed to violate Bell's inequality. The density matrix describing the polarization state of the postselected photon pairs is reconstructed and agrees well with a simple model predicting the quality of entanglement from the known parameters of the single photon source. Our scheme provides a method to create no more than one entangled photon pair per cycle after postselection, a feature useful to enhance quantum cryptography protocols based on shared entanglement.     

Quantum cryptography based on quantum dots

Network protocols are formulated for the phase-coding and correlated-photon-pairs quantum cryptosystems. These protocols are free of the restriction imposed on the distance between the two legitimate users by the transmission loss in the optical fiber. A single-photon source and a source of correlated photon pairs based on quantum dots are proposed. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 8, 646–651 (25 April 1996) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

A single-crystal source of path/polarization entanglement at non-degenerate wavelengths

We demonstrate a bright, narrowband, compact, quasi-phase-matched single-crystal source generating path-polarization-entangled photon pairs at 810 nm and 1550 nm at a maximum rate of 3 × 10⁶ s⁻¹ THz⁻¹ mW⁻¹ after coupling to single-mode fiber, and with two-photon interference visibility above 90%. While the source can already be used to implement quantum communication protocols such as quantum key distribution, this work is also instrumental for narrowband applications such as entanglement transfer from photonic to atomic qubits, or entanglement of photons from independent sources.     

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.     

利用高非线性光纤产生量子关联光子对的实验研究

光纤中基于三阶(克尔)非线性效应的自发四波混频是制备量子关联光子对的有效方法之一。若采用商售高非线性光纤作为产生光子对的非线性介质,则有利于减小所需光纤的长度,从而缩小实验装置体积并降低对于抽运源的要求。利用脉冲光抽运20m的高非线性光纤产生通讯波段的频率近简并关联光子对,研究了光纤的弱双折射特性对于光子对产生的影响。当抽运光沿高非线性光纤的偏振轴入射时,具有最大的光子对产生效率,且光子对绝大部分与抽运光偏振平行;抽运光沿与光纤偏振轴45°入射时,光子对的产生效率最小,约为最大值的80%。     

基于色散位移光纤的高宣布式窄带单光子源

文章利用脉冲激光抽运色散位移光纤,通过自发四波混频过程产生的关联光子对,实验演示了一种光通讯波段的窄带宣布式单光子源. 实验测得-3 dB带宽为1.1 nm单光子场的二阶关联函数g⁽²⁾(0)=0.09±0.01,宣布效率可达0.5以上. 这种单光子源在量子通信中有潜在的应用前景. 关键词： 宣布式单光子 光纤 自发四波混频 量子通信     

Sudden death of entanglement induced by polarization mode dispersion

We study the decoherence of polarization-entangled photon pairs subject to the effects of polarization mode dispersion, the chief polarization decoherence mechanism in optical fibers. We show that fiber propagation reveals an intriguing interplay between the concepts of entanglement sudden death, decoherence-free subspaces, and nonlocality. We define the boundaries in which entanglement-based quantum communications protocols relying on fiber propagation can be applied.     

脉冲抽运光啁啾对全光纤量子关联光子对纯度的影响

信号与闲置光子波长均为1550 nm 通信波段的全光纤关联光子对源, 具有低成本以及可与现有光纤网络低损耗连接的特点. 进一步优化其纯度, 将有助于提高这种量子光源的实用化程度.当抽运脉冲光在光纤中传输时, 由于色散和Kerr非线性效应的影响, 会不可避免地引入啁啾. 本文利用脉冲激光抽运零色散位移光纤, 研究了抽运光啁啾对关联光子对纯度的影响. 结果表明, 通信波段小失谐关联光子对的纯度随啁啾的增大而下降. 若采用变换极限的锁模激光为抽运源, 将有助于抑制Raman散射对自发四波混频的影响, 提高光子对的纯度. 关键词： 关联光子对 光纤 自发四波混频 啁啾     

Causality, relativity and quantum correlation experiments with moving reference frames

Entanglement, one of the most important features of quantum mechanics, is at the core of the famous Einstein-Bohr philosophical debate [1] and is the principal resource for quantum information processing [2]. We report on new experimental investigations of the properties of entangled photon pairs with emphasis on the tension between quantum mechanics and relativity [3,4]. Entangled photons are sent via an optical fiber network to two villages near Geneva, separated by more than 10 km where they are analyzed by interferometers [5]. The photon pair source is set as precisely as possible in the center so that the two photons arrive at the detectors within a time interval of less than 5 ps (corresponding to a path length difference of less than 1 mm). This sets a lower bound on the ‘speed of quantum information’ to 10⁷ times the speed of light. Next, one detector is set in motion [6] so that both detectors, each in its own inertial reference frame, are first to do the measurement! The data always reproduces the quantum correlations.     

Slow-light enhanced correlated photon pair generation in a silicon photonic crystal waveguide

We report the generation of correlated photon pairs in the telecom C-band at room temperature from a dispersion-engineered silicon photonic crystal waveguide. The spontaneous four-wave mixing process producing the photon pairs is enhanced by slow-light propagation enabling an active device length of less than 100?μm. With a coincidence to accidental ratio of 12.8 at a pair generation rate of 0.006 per pulse, this ultracompact photon pair source paves the way toward scalable quantum information processing realized on-chip.