Photon echoes using atomic frequency combs in Pr:YSO - experiment and semiclassical theory.

Photon echoes in rare-earth-doped crystals are studied to understand the challenges of making broadband quantum memories using the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol in systems with hyperfine structure. The hyperfine structure of Pr3+ poses an obstacle to this goal because frequencies associated with the hyperfine transitions change the simple picture of modulation at an externally imposed frequency. The current work focuses on the intermediate case where the hyperfine spacing is comparable to the comb spacing, a challenging regime that has recently been considered. Operating in this regime may facilitate storing quantum information over a larger spectral range in such systems. In this work, we prepare broadband AFCs using optical combs with tooth spacings ranging from 1 MHz to 16 MHz in fine steps, and measure transmission spectra and photon echoes for each. We predict the spectra and echoes theoretically using the optical combs as input to either a rate equation code or a density matrix code, which calculates the redistribution of populations. We then use the redistributed populations as input to a semiclassical theory using the frequency-dependent dielectric function. The two sets of predictions each give a good, but different account of the photon echoes.

Calibration of free-space and fiber-coupled single-photon detectors.

We measure the detection efficiency of single-photon detectors at wavelengths near 851 nm and 1533.6 nm. We investigate the spatial uniformity of one free-space-coupled single-photon avalanche diode and present a comparison between fusion-spliced and connectorized fiber-coupled single-photon detectors. We find that our expanded relative uncertainty for a single measurement of the detection efficiency is as low as 0.70% for fiber-coupled measurements at 1533.6 nm and as high as 1.78% for our free-space characterization at 851.7 nm. The detection-efficiency determination includes corrections for afterpulsing, dark count, and count-rate effects of the single-photon detector with the detection efficiency interpolated to operation at a specified detected count rate.

Switchable detector array scheme to reduce the effect of single-photon detector's deadtime in a multi-bit/photon quantum link.

We explore the use of a switchable single-photon detector (SPD) array scheme to reduce the effect of a detector's deadtime for a multi-bit/photon quantum link. The case of data encoding using M possible orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) states is specifically studied in this paper. Our method uses N SPDs with a controllable M × N optical switch and we use a Monte Carlo-based method to simulate the quantum detection process. The simulation results show that with the use of the switchable SPD array, the detection system can allow a higher incident photon rate than what might otherwise be limited by detectors' deadtime. For the case of M = 4, N = 20, a 50-ns deadtime for the individual SPDs, an average photon number per pulse of 0.1, and under the limit that at most 10 % of the photon-containing pulses are missed, the switchable SPD array will allow an incident photon rate of 2250 million counts/s (Mcts/s). This is 25 times the 90 Mcts/s incident photon rate that a non-switchable, 4-SPD array will allow. The increase in incident photon rate is more than the 5 times increase, which is the simple increase in the number of SPDs and the number of OAM encoding states (e.g., N/M = 20/4).

A post-processing-free single-photon random number generator with ultra-low latency.

The low-latency requirements of a practical loophole-free Bell test preclude time-consuming post-processing steps that are often used to improve the statistical quality of a physical random number generator (RNG). Here we demonstrate a post-processing-free RNG that produces a random bit within 2.4(2) ns of an input trigger. We use weak feedback to eliminate long-term drift, resulting in 24 hour operation with output that is statistically indistinguishable from a Bernoulli process. We quantify the impact of the feedback on the predictability of the output as less than 6.4×10-7 and demonstrate the utility of the Allan variance as a tool for characterizing non-idealities in RNGs.

Absolute calibration of a variable attenuator using few-photon pulses.

We demonstrate the ability to calibrate a variable optical attenuator directly at the few-photon level using a superconducting Transition Edge Sensor (TES). Because of the inherent linearity of photon-number resolving detection, no external calibrations are required, even for the energy of the laser pulses, which ranged from means of 0.15 to 18 photons per pulse at the detector. To verify this method, calibrations were compared to an independent conventional calibration made at much higher photon fluxes using analog detectors. In all cases, the attenuations estimated by the two methods agree within their uncertainties.Our few-photon measurement determined attenuations using the Poisson-Influenced K-Means Algorithm (PIKA) to extract mean numbers of photons per pulse along with the uncertainties of these means. The robustness of the method is highlighted by the agreement of the two calibrations even in the presence of significant drifts in the optical power over the course of the experiment.Work of the United States Government. Not subject to copyright.

Statistically background-free, phase-preserving parametric up-conversion with faint light.

We demonstrate up-conversion with no statistically significant background photons and a dynamic range of 15 decades. Near-infrared 920 nm photons were converted into the visible at 577 nm using periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides pumped by a 1550 nm laser. In addition to achieving statistically noiseless frequency up-conversion, we report a high degree of phase preservation (with fringe visibilities ≥ 0.97) at the single-photon level using an up-converting Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This background-free process opens a path to single-photon detection with no intrinsic dark count. Combined with a demonstrated photon-number preserving property of an up-converter, this work demonstrates the feasibility of noiseless frequency up-conversion of entangled photon pairs.

Strong Loophole-Free Test of Local Realism.

We present a loophole-free violation of local realism using entangled photon pairs. We ensure that all relevant events in our Bell test are spacelike separated by placing the parties far enough apart and by using fast random number generators and high-speed polarization measurements. A high-quality polarization-entangled source of photons, combined with high-efficiency, low-noise, single-photon detectors, allows us to make measurements without requiring any fair-sampling assumptions. Using a hypothesis test, we compute p values as small as 5.9×10^{-9} for our Bell violation while maintaining the spacelike separation of our events. We estimate the degree to which a local realistic system could predict our measurement choices. Accounting for this predictability, our smallest adjusted p value is 2.3×10^{-7}. We therefore reject the hypothesis that local realism governs our experiment.

Demonstrating highly symmetric single-mode, single-photon heralding efficiency in spontaneous parametric downconversion.

We demonstrate a symmetric, single-spatial-mode, single-photon heralding efficiency of 84% for a type-II spontaneous parametric downconversion process. High-efficiency, single-spatial mode collection is key to enabling many quantum information processing and quantum metrology applications.

Photon-number-resolved detection of photon-subtracted thermal light.

We examine the photon statistics of photon-subtracted thermal light using photon-number-resolved detection. We demonstrate experimentally that the photon number distribution transforms from a Bose-Einstein distribution to a Poisson distribution as the number of subtracted photons increases. We also show that second- and higher-order photon correlation functions can be directly determined from the photon-number-resolved detection measurements of a single optical beam.

Extending single-photon optimized superconducting transition edge sensors beyond the single-photon counting regime.

Typically, transition edge sensors resolve photon number of up to 10 or 20 photons, depending on the wavelength and TES design. We extend that dynamic range up to 1000 photons, while maintaining sub-shot noise detection process uncertainty of the number of detected photons and beyond that show a monotonic response up to ≈ 6 · 10(6) photons in a single light pulse. This mode of operation, which heats the sensor far beyond its transition edge into the normal conductive regime, offers a technique for connecting single-photon-counting measurements to radiant-power measurements at picowatt levels. Connecting these two usually incompatible operating regimes in a single detector offers significant potential for directly tying photon counting measurements to conventional cryogenic radiometric standards. In addition, our measurements highlight the advantages of a photon-number state source over a coherent pulse source as a tool for characterizing such a detector.

Polarization-entangled photon pairs from a periodically poled crystalline waveguide.

A proposal is made for the generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs from a periodically poled crystal allowing for high collection efficiency, high entanglement, and stable operation. The theory is formulated for colinear propagation for application to waveguides. The key feature of the theory is the use of type II phase matching using both the +1 and -1 diffraction orders of the poling structure. Although these conditions are fairly restrictive in terms of operating parameters, practical operating conditions can be found. For example, we find that a HeNe pump laser may be used for a periodically poled rubidium-doped potassium titanyl phosphate (Rb:KTP) waveguide to yield single mode polarization-entangled pairs. Fidelities of 0.98 are possible under practical conditions.

Frequency-bin entangled comb of photon pairs from a Silicon-on-Insulator micro-resonator.

We present a quantum-mechanical theory to describe narrowband photon-pair generation via four-wave mixing in a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) micro-resonator. We also provide design principles for efficient photon-pair generation in an SOI micro-resonator through extensive numerical simulations. Microring cavities are shown to have a much wider dispersion-compensated frequency range than straight cavities. A microring with an inner radius of 8 µm can output an entangled photon comb of 21 pairwise-correlated peaks (42 comb lines) spanning from 1.3 µm to 1.8 µm. Such on-chip quantum photonic devices offer a path toward future integrated quantum photonics and quantum integrated circuits.

Coalescence of single photons emitted by disparate single-photon sources: the example of InAs quantum dots and parametric down-conversion sources.

Single photons produced by fundamentally dissimilar physical processes will in general not be indistinguishable. We show how photons produced from a quantum dot and by parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear crystal can be manipulated to be indistinguishable. The measured two-photon coalescence probability is 16%, and is limited by quantum-dot decoherence. Temporal filtering to the quantum-dot coherence time and accounting for detector time response increases this to 61% while retaining 25% of the events. This technique can connect different elements in a scalable quantum network.

Low-noise photon counting above 100 million counts per second with a high-efficiency reach-through single-photon avalanche diode system.

We demonstrate a method that allows a high-efficiency single-photon-avalanche diode (SPAD) with a thick absorption region (> 10 µm) to count single photons at rates significantly higher than previously demonstrated. We apply large (> 30 V) AC bias gates to the SPAD at 1 GHz and detect minute avalanches with a discrimination threshold of 5(1) mV by means of radio-frequency (RF) interferometry. We measure a reduction by a factor of ≈ 500 in the average charge per avalanche when compared to operation in its traditional active-quenching module, and a relative increase of >19 % in detection efficiency at 850 nm. The reduction in charge strongly suppresses self-heating effects in the diode that can degrade performance at high avalanche rates. We show that the single-photon detection system maintains high efficiency at count rates exceeding 108s-1.

Single-photon propagation through dielectric bandgaps.

Theoretical models of photon traversal through quarter-wave dielectric stack barriers that arise due to Bragg reflection predict the saturation of the propagation time with the barrier length, known as the Hartman effect. This saturation is sensitive to the addition of single dielectric layers, varying significantly from sub-luminal to apparently super-luminal and vice versa. Our research tests the suitability of photonic bandgaps as an optical model for the tunneling process. Of particular importance is our observation of subtle structural changes in dielectric stacks drastically affecting photon traversal times, allowing for apparent sub- and super-luminal effects. We also introduce a simple model to link HOM visibility to wavepacket distortion that allows us to exclude this as a possible cause of the loss of contrast in the barrier penetration process.

Interference of single photons from two separate semiconductor quantum dots.

We demonstrate and characterize interference between discrete photons emitted by two separate semiconductor quantum dot states in different samples excited by a pulsed laser. Their energies are tuned into resonance using strain. The photons have a total coalescence probability of 18.1% and the coincidence rate is below the classical limit. Postselection of coincidences within a narrow time window increases the coalescence probability to 47%. The probabilities are reduced from unity because of dephasing and the postselection value is also reduced by the detector time response.

Single-photon sources: Approaching the ideal through multiplexing.

We review the rapid recent progress in single-photon sources based on multiplexing multiple probabilistic photon-creation events. Such multiplexing allows higher single-photon probabilities and lower contamination from higher-order photon states. We study the requirements for multiplexed sources and compare various approaches to multiplexing using different degrees of freedom.

Mode expansion and Bragg filtering for a high-fidelity fiber-based photon-pair Source.

We report the development of a fiber-based single spatial-mode source of photon-pairs where the efficiency of extracting photon-pairs is increased through the use of fiber-end expansion and Bragg filters. This improvement in efficiency enabled a spectrally bright and pure photon-pair source having a small second-order correlation function (0.03) and a raw spectral brightness of 44,700 pairs s(-1)nm(-1)mW(-1). The source can be configured to generate entangled photon-pairs, characterized via optimal and minimal quantum state tomography, to have a fidelity of 97% and tangle of 92%, without subtracting any background.

A versatile waveguide source of photon pairs for chip-scale quantum information processing.

We demonstrate a bright, bandwidth-tunable, quasi-phase-matched single-waveguide source generating photon pairs near 900 nm and 1300 nm. Two-photon coincidence spectra are measured at a range of operating temperatures of a periodically-poled KTiOPO(4) (PPKTP) waveguide, which supports both type-0 and type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion. We map out relative contributions of two-photon to one-photon fluorescence for a range of operating parameters. Such a versatile device is highly promising for future chip-scale quantum information processing.

Experimental test of nonclassicality for a single particle.

In a recent paper [R. Alicki and N. Van Ryn, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., 41, 062001 (2008)] a test of nonclassicality for a single qubit was proposed. Here, we discuss the class of hidden variables theories to which this test applies and present an experimental realization.