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.     

Effective generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs in a cavity-QED system

We propose a cavity-QED scheme to effectively generate Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen polarization-entangled photon pairs. Assisted by a classical π-polarized pump field, a tripod four-level atom successively couples to two high-Q optical cavities possessing polarization degeneracy. Through stimulated Raman adiabatic passage process the polarization-entangled photon pairs can be produced.     

Generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs by a single crystal interferometric source pumped by femtosecond laser pulses

Photon pairs highly entangled in polarization have been generated under femtosecond laser pulse excitation by a type-I crystal source operating in a single-arm interferometric scheme. The relevant effects of temporal walkoff existing in these conditions between the ordinary and extraordinary photons were experimentally investigated. By introducing a suitable temporal compensation between the two orthogonal polarization components, highly entangled pulsed states were obtained.     

Monolithic source of photon pairs

The creation of monolithically integratable sources of single and entangled photons is a top research priority with formidable challenges: The production, manipulation, and measurement of the photons should all occur in the same material platform, thereby fostering stability and scalability. Here we demonstrate efficient photon pair production in a semiconductor platform, gallium arsenide. Our results show type-I spontaneous parametric down-conversion of laser light from a 2.2 mm long Bragg-reflection waveguide, and we estimate its internal pair production efficiency to be 2.0×10(-8) (pairs/pump photon). This is the first time that significant pair production has been demonstrated in a structure that can be electrically self-pumped and which can form the basis for passive optical circuitry, bringing us markedly closer to complete integration of quantum optical technologies.     

Highly efficient polarization-entangled photon source using periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides

In our experiment, two channels of a 3 cm long periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide are used to generate the nondegenerate spontaneous parametric down conversion (NSPDC) photon pairs. We experimentally obtained the highly efficient polarization-entangled photon pairs by coherently combining two NSPDC processes, and keeping the phase stable over 30 min. We can also prepare two entangled photon pairs with different central wavelengths with the help of wavelength division multiplex.     

New high-efficiency source of photon pairs for engineering quantum entanglement.

We constructed an efficient source of photon pairs using a waveguide-type nonlinear device and performed a two-photon interference experiment with an unbalanced Michelson interferometer. As the interferometer has two arms of different lengths, photons from the short arm arrive at the detector earlier than those from the long arm. We find that the arrival time difference (Delta L/c) and the time window of the coincidence counter (Delta T) are important parameters which determine the boundary between the classical and quantum regimes. Fringes of high visibility ( 80% +/- 10%) were observed when Delta T < Delta L/c. This result is explained only by quantum theory and is clear evidence for quantum entanglement of the interferometer's optical paths.     

基于偏振纠缠光子对的单光子源

提出了一种基于参量下转换纠缠光子对获得单光子源的实验方案,并对实验的光路、数据采集方面做了详细介绍.实验结果显示,由此方案获得的单光子源的品质要优于弱相干光式的单光子源两个数量级,即多光子光脉冲出现的概率降低了100倍.实验结果表明此方案有望得到实际应用. 关键词： 单光子源 参量下转换 反符合测量     

Fiber-based telecom-band degenerate-frequency source of entangled photon pairs

We demonstrate the generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs of degenerate frequency for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, in standard optical fiber using a novel dual-pump, counterpropagating configuration. Two-photon interference with >97% visibility is obtained. The purity of the photon source, as characterized by the ratio of coincidence to accidental-coincidence counts, is shown to be as high as 116 under suitable operating conditions.     

Prediction of multichannel polarization-entangled photon pairs in a single periodically poled lithium niobate with a monochromatic pump

A method is presented for the first time to our knowledge for generating multiple-channel polarization-entangled photon pairs simultaneously based on type II quasi-phase-matched spontaneous parametric downconversion pumped by monochromatic light in a single periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal. The expression for the count of the polarization-entangled photon pairs is analytically obtained. It is predicted that one-, two-, and even three-channel polarization-entangled photon pairs can be simultaneously generated just by suitably choosing the PPLN grating period and the pump frequency.     

Robust quantum communication using a polarization-entangled photon pair

Noise and imperfection of realistic devices are major obstacles for implementing quantum cryptography. In particular, birefringence in optical fibers leads to decoherence of qubits encoded in photon polarization. We show how to overcome this problem by doing single qubit quantum communication without a shared spatial reference frame and precise timing. Quantum information will be encoded in pairs of photons using tag operations, which corresponds to the time delay of one of the polarization modes. This method is robust against the phase instability of the interferometers despite the use of time bins. Moreover synchronized clocks are not required in the ideal no photon loss case as they are necessary only to label the different encoded qubits.     

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     

Multichannel polarization-entangled photonpair source for entanglement distribution

A multichannel polarization-entangled photon-pair source in an Mg O-doped periodically poled lithium niobate(Mg O:PPLN) waveguide is proposed. Based on type I quasi-phase-matched spontaneous parametric down conversion in a single Mg O: PPLN waveguide placed inside a Sagnac interferometer and pumped by monochromatic light, a source capable of supporting tens to hundreds of channels of polarization-entangled photon pairs in fiber communication bands simultaneously can be achieved. An inherent channel switch of this source is investigated,which will be significant for future entanglement distribution networks.     

Degenerate entangled photon pairs source based on PPLN waveguide for quantum computation

Integrated photonic devices are expected to play a promising role in the field of quantum information science. In this paper we propose two schemes for generating polarization-mode entangled photon pairs based on titanium-indiffused waveguide on periodically polled lithium niobate by using simultaneous quasi-phase-matching of Type-I and higher order Type-0 spontaneous parametric down conversion processes in one of them and Type-II in another. The photon pairs are emitted at the wavelength of 812 nm suitable for quantum computation applications within a bandwidth of 14 and 0.2 nm, and the generation rate of the degenerate sources is 44,360 and 91 pairs/(s GHz mW) respectively, in a 1-cm long waveguide. These degenerate sources can provide maximally entangled photon pairs as the Tangle of the sources is as high as 0.9999 and 1, accordingly.     

Generation of hyperentangled photon pairs

We experimentally demonstrate the first quantum system entangled in every degree of freedom (hyperentangled). Using pairs of photons produced in spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we verify entanglement by observing a Bell-type inequality violation in each degree of freedom: polarization, spatial mode, and time energy. We also produce and characterize maximally hyperentangled states and novel states simultaneously exhibiting both quantum and classical correlations. Finally, we report the tomography of a 2 x 2 x 3 x 3 system (36-dimensional Hilbert space), which we believe is the first reported photonic entangled system of this size to be so characterized.     

Generation of pulsed polarization-entangled photon pairs in a 1.55-microm band with a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide and an orthogonal polarization delay circuit

We report a scheme for generating pulsed polarization-entangled photon pairs based on conversion from time-bin entanglement to polarization entanglement by use of an orthogonal polarization delay circuit and post-selection. We have experimentally demonstrated the scheme, using a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide, and successfully obtained polarization entanglement in the 1.55-microm telecom wavelength band.     

Creating single time-bin-entangled photon pairs

When a single emitter is excited by two phase-coherent pulses with a time delay, each of the pulses can lead to the emission of a photon pair, thus creating a "time-bin-entangled" state. Double pair emission can be avoided by initially preparing the emitter in a metastable state. We show how photons from separate emissions can be made indistinguishable, permitting their use for multiphoton interference. Possible realizations are discussed. The method might also allow the direct creation of n-photon entangled states (n > 2).     

Optical-fiber source of polarization-entangled photons in the 1550 nm telecom band

We present a fiber-based source of polarization-entangled photons that is well suited for quantum communication applications in the 1550 nm band of standard fiber-optic telecommunications. Polarization entanglement is created by pumping a nonlinear-fiber Sagnac interferometer with two time-delayed orthogonally polarized pump pulses and subsequently removing the time distinguishability by passing the parametrically scattered signal and idler photon pairs through a piece of birefringent fiber. Coincidence detection of the signal and idler photons yields biphoton interference with visibility greater than 90%, while no interference is observed in direct detection of either signal or idler photons. All four Bell states can be prepared with our setup and we demonstrate violations of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt form of Bell's inequality by up to 10 standard deviations of measurement uncertainty.     

Bright source of spectrally uncorrelated polarization-entangled photons with nearly single-mode emission

We present results of a bright polarization-entangled photon source operating at 1552 nm via type-II collinear degenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal. We report a conservative inferred pair generation rate of 123,000 pairs/s/mW into collection modes. Minimization of spectral and spatial entanglement was achieved by group velocity matching the pump, signal, and idler modes and through properly focusing the pump beam. By utilizing a pair of calcite beam displacers, we are able to overlap photons from adjacent down-conversion processes to obtain polarization-entanglement visibility of 94.7+/-1.1% with accidentals subtracted.