Experimental demonstration of graph-state quantum secret sharing.

Quantum communication and computing offer many new opportunities for information processing in a connected world. Networks using quantum resources with tailor-made entanglement structures have been proposed for a variety of tasks, including distributing, sharing and processing information. Recently, a class of states known as graph states has emerged, providing versatile quantum resources for such networking tasks. Here we report an experimental demonstration of graph state-based quantum secret sharing--an important primitive for a quantum network with applications ranging from secure money transfer to multiparty quantum computation. We use an all-optical setup, encoding quantum information into photons representing a five-qubit graph state. We find that one can reliably encode, distribute and share quantum information amongst four parties, with various access structures based on the complex connectivity of the graph. Our results show that graph states are a promising approach for realising sophisticated multi-layered communication protocols in quantum networks.

Experimental realization of a one-way quantum computer algorithm solving Simon's problem.

We report an experimental demonstration of a one-way implementation of a quantum algorithm solving Simon's problem-a black-box period-finding problem that has an exponential gap between the classical and quantum runtime. Using an all-optical setup and modifying the bases of single-qubit measurements on a five-qubit cluster state, key representative functions of the logical two-qubit version's black box can be queried and solved. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first experimental realization of the quantum algorithm solving Simon's problem. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical model, demonstrating the successful performance of the algorithm. With a view to scaling up to larger numbers of qubits, we analyze the resource requirements for an n-qubit version. This work helps highlight how one-way quantum computing provides a practical route to experimentally investigating the quantum-classical gap in the query complexity model.

Experimental demonstration of a graph state quantum error-correction code.

Scalable quantum computing and communication requires the protection of quantum information from the detrimental effects of decoherence and noise. Previous work tackling this problem has relied on the original circuit model for quantum computing. However, recently a family of entangled resources known as graph states has emerged as a versatile alternative for protecting quantum information. Depending on the graph's structure, errors can be detected and corrected in an efficient way using measurement-based techniques. Here we report an experimental demonstration of error correction using a graph state code. We use an all-optical setup to encode quantum information into photons representing a four-qubit graph state. We are able to reliably detect errors and correct against qubit loss. The graph we realize is setup independent, thus it could be employed in other physical settings. Our results show that graph state codes are a promising approach for achieving scalable quantum information processing.

Ultraviolet four-wave mixing in the LP(02) fiber mode.

We report UV four-wave mixing in the LP(02) mode of a photonic crystal fiber when pumped by a frequency-doubled 532 nm microchip laser in the normal dispersion regime. A pure LP(02) mode was generated for the pump light by a broadband all-fiber mode converter. Ultraviolet signal wavelengths as short as 342 nm were generated.

1064 nm laser-induced defects in pure SiO2 fibers.

We investigate evidence of the formation of nonbridging oxygen hole centers in pure silica photonic crystal fibers from 5 ps 1064 nm pulses. The formation of the defects is attributed to the breaking of stressed silicon-oxygen bonds in the glass matrix through a many-photon process. We compare the photodarkening induced by the 1064 nm pump with photodarkening induced by short wavelength light in a 1064 nm pumped supercontinuum extending to 400 nm. It is shown that the higher peak power at the pump wavelength makes it a more significant cause of photodarkening when compared to the shorter wavelength light generated in the fiber.

Nonlinear optics in the LP(02) higher-order mode of a fiber.

The distinct disperion properties of higher-order modes in optical fibers permit the nonlinear generation of radiation deeper into the ultraviolet than is possible with the fundamental mode. This is exploited using adiabatic, broadband mode convertors to couple light efficiently from an input fundamental mode and also to return the generated light to an output fundamental mode over a broad spectral range. For example, we generate visible and UV supercontinuum light in the LP(02) mode of a photonic crystal fiber from sub-ns pulses with a wavelength of 532 nm.

Two-photon interference between disparate sources for quantum networking.

Quantum networks involve entanglement sharing between multiple users. Ideally, any two users would be able to connect regardless of the type of photon source they employ, provided they fulfill the requirements for two-photon interference. From a theoretical perspective, photons coming from different origins can interfere with a perfect visibility, provided they are made indistinguishable in all degrees of freedom. Previous experimental demonstrations of such a scenario have been limited to photon wavelengths below 900 nm, unsuitable for long distance communication, and suffered from low interference visibility. We report two-photon interference using two disparate heralded single photon sources, which involve different nonlinear effects, operating in the telecom wavelength range. The measured visibility of the two-photon interference is 80 ± 4%, which paves the way to hybrid universal quantum networks.

Modulational instability in a silicon-on-insulator directional coupler: role of the coupling-induced group velocity dispersion.

We report frequency conversion experiments in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) directional couplers. We demonstrate that the evanescent coupling between two subwavelength SOI waveguides is strongly dispersive and significantly modifies modulational instability (MI) spectra through the coupling induced group velocity dispersion (GVD). As the separation between two 380-nm-wide silicon photonic wires decreases, the increasing dispersion of the coupling makes the GVD in the symmetric supermode more normal and suppresses the bandwidth of the MI gain observed for larger separations.

Coherent supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber with all-normal group velocity dispersion.

We demonstrate supercontinuum generation in a photonic crystal fiber with all-normal group velocity dispersion. Pumping a short section of this fiber with compressed pulses from a compact amplified fiber laser generates a 200 nm bandwidth continuum with typical self-phase-modulation characteristics. We demonstrate that the supercontinuum is compressible to a duration of 26 fs. It therefore has a high degree of coherence between all the frequency components, and is a single pulse in the time domain. A smooth, flat spectrum spanning 800 nm is achieved using a longer piece of fiber.

Stable low-loss optical nanofibres embedded in hydrophobic aerogel.

Nanofibres, optical fibres narrower than the wavelength of light, degrade in hours on exposure to air. We show that encapsulation in hydrophobic silica aerogel (refractive index 1.05) provides protection and stability (over 2 months) without sacrificing low attenuation, strong confinement and accessible evanescent field. The measured attenuation was <0.03 dB/mm, over 10 × lower than reported with other encapsulants. This enables many nanofibre applications based on their extreme small size and strong external evanescent field, such as optical sensors, nonlinear optics, nanofibre circuits and high-Q resonators. The aerogel is more than a waterproof box, it is a completely-compatible gas-permeable material in intimate contact with the nanofibre and hydrophobic on both the macroscopic and molecular scales. Its benefits are illustrated by experiments on gas sensing (exploiting the aerogel's porosity) and supercontinuum generation (exploiting its ultra-low index).

Ultrashort pulse compression and delivery in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber at 540 nm wavelength.

We have fabricated a bandgap-guiding hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) capable of transmitting and compressing ultrashort pulses in the green spectral region around 532 nm. When propagating subpicosecond pulses through 1 m of this fiber, we have observed soliton-effect temporal compression by up to a factor of 3 to around 100 fs. This reduces the wavelength at which soliton effects have been observed in hollow-core PCF by over 200 nm. We have used the pulses delivered at the output of the fiber to machine micrometer-scale features in copper.

More than threefold expansion of highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber cores for low-loss fusion splicing.

We have formed low-loss fusion splices from highly nonlinear (HNL) photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with small cores and high air-filling fractions to fibers with much larger mode field diameters (MFDs). The PCF core was locally enlarged by the controlled collapse of holes around the core while keeping other holes open. The fiber was then cleaved at the enlarged core and spliced to the large MFD fiber with a conventional electric arc fusion splicer. Splice losses as low as 0.36 dB were achieved between a PCF and a standard single-mode fiber (SMF) with MFDs of 1.8 microm and 5.9 microm, respectively.

Narrowband high-fidelity all-fibre source of heralded single photons at 1570 nm.

An all-fibre heralded single photon source operating at 1570 nm has been demonstrated. The device generates correlated photon pairs, widely spaced in frequency, through four-wave mixing in a photonic crystal fibre. Separation of the pair photons and narrowband filtering is all achieved in fibre. The output heralded single photon rate was 9.2 x 10(4) per second, with a counts-to-accidentals ratio of 10.4 and a heralding fidelity of 52 %. Furthermore, narrowband filtering ensured that the output single photon state was near time-bandwidth limited with a coherence length of 4 ps. Such a source is well suited to quantum information processing applications.

Nonclassical 2-photon interference with separate intrinsically narrowband fibre sources.

In this paper, we demonstrate a source of photon pairs based on four-wave-mixing in photonic crystal fibres. Careful engineering of the phase matching conditions in the fibres enables us to create photon pairs at 597 nm and 860 nm in an intrinsically factorable state showing no spectral correlations. This allows for heralding one photon in a pure state and hence renders narrow band filtering obsolete. The source is narrow band, bright and achieves an overall detection efficiency of up to 21% per photon. For the first time, a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with unfiltered photons from separate fibre sources is presented.

High power tunable femtosecond soliton source using hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber, and its use for frequency doubling.

We report a high power tunable femtosecond soliton-based source using a simple combination of fiber-amplified pulses at 1064 nm and hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber. Compression of 5.5 ps input pulses, strongly chirped by self phase modulation in the amplifier, results in stable 520 fs-soliton formation with 77% conversion efficiency after only 8m propagation in the hollow-core fiber. The Raman self-frequency shift of the solitons was used to provide 33 nm wavelength tuneability. The transform-limited output pulses were frequency doubled using a nonlinear crystal with high conversion efficiency of 60% to demonstrate a femtosecond green laser tunable from 534 nm to 548 nm with 180 nJ pulse energy.

Polarized supercontinuum in birefringent photonic crystal fibre pumped at 1064 nm and application to tuneable visible/UV generation.

We generate a flat, polarized and single mode supercontinuum (SC) spanning 450-1750 nm in a highly birefringent photonic crystal fibre (PCF) pumped by a 1064 nm microchip laser. More than 99% of the total power is kept in a single linear polarization. The measured power coupling penalty due to the elliptical core is less than 6% (0.25 dB). As one of its applications, we demonstrate tuneable visible/UV generation in the nonlinear crystal BIBO pumped by this polarized SC source. A tuneable range of 400-525 nm is obtained by critical phase matching in BIBO. We also show the results of visible/UV generation in BIBO pumped by the signal wavelength of polarized four-wave mixing (FWM) in PCF.

Solitons and spectral broadening in long silicon-on- insulator photonic wires.

We report measurements and numerical modeling of spectral broadening and soliton propagation regimes in silicon-on-insulator photonic wire waveguides of 3 to 4 dispersion lengths using 100fs pump pulses. We also present accurate measurements of the group index and dispersion of the photonic wire.

Wavelength-independent all-fiber mode converters.

We have used two different photonic crystal fiber (PCF) techniques to make all-fiber mode converters. An LP(01) to LP(11) mode converter was made by the ferrule technique on a drawing tower, and an LP(01) to LP(02) mode converter was made by controlled hole inflation of an existing PCF on a tapering rig. Both devices rely on adiabatic propagation rather than resonant coupling; so high extinction was achieved across a wide wavelength range.

Delivery of sub-100fs pulses through 8m of hollow-core fiber using soliton compression.

We report soliton compression in a tapered hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber. We compress unchirped 195fs input pulses at 800 nm wavelength to less than 100fs after single-mode propagation through 8m of fiber, at pulse energies of around 50nJ.

All-fiber anamorphic core-shape transitions.

We demonstrate low-loss anamorphic transitions between circular and rectangular fiber cores with aspect ratios up to 5:1, and hence improved coupling from a diode laser by using only a spherical lens. Differential hole pressurization and localized heating of a stock photonic crystal fiber inflates the holes at different rates. Some holes are plugged in the fiber end face where pressure is applied, so they remain at ambient pressure. Alternatively, holes of different sizes expand at different rates because the effective pressure due to surface tension differs.