Experimental Multi-state Quantum Discrimination in the Frequency Domain with Quantum Dot Light

The quest for the realization of effective quantum state discrimination strategies is of great interest for quantum information technology, as well as for fundamental studies. Therefore, it is crucial to develop new and more efficient methods to implement discrimination protocols for quantum states. Among the others, single photon implementations are more advisable, because of their inherent security advantage in quantum communication scenarios. In this work, we present the experimental realization of a protocol employing a time-multiplexing strategy to optimally discriminate among eight non-orthogonal states, encoded in the four-dimensional Hilbert space spanning both the polarization degree of freedom and photon energy. The experiment, built on a custom-designed bulk optics analyser setup and single photons generated by a nearly deterministic solid-state source, represents a benchmarking example of minimum error discrimination with actual quantum states, requiring only linear optics and two photodetectors to be realized. Our work paves the way for more complex applications and delivers a novel approach towards high-dimensional quantum encoding and decoding operations

Signatures of the Optical Stark Effect on Entangled Photon Pairs from Resonantly-Pumped Quantum Dots

Two-photon resonant excitation of the biexciton-exciton cascade in a quantum dot generates highly polarization-entangled photon pairs in a near-deterministic way. However, there are still open questions on the ultimate level of achievable entanglement. Here, we observe the impact of the laser-induced AC-Stark effect on the spectral emission features and on entanglement. A shorter emission time, longer laser pulse duration, and higher pump power all result in lower values of concurrence. Nonetheless, additional contributions are still required to fully account for the observed below-unity concurrence.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Post-fabrication tuning of circular Bragg resonators for enhanced emitter-cavity coupling

Solid-state quantum emitters embedded in circular Bragg resonators are attractive due to their ability to emit quantum states of light with high brightness and low multi-photon probability. As for any emitter-microcavity system, fabrication imperfections limit the spatial and spectral overlap of the emitter with the cavity mode, thus limiting their coupling strength. Here, we show that an initial spectral mismatch can be corrected after device fabrication by repeated wet chemical etching steps. We demonstrate ~16 nm wavelength tuning for optical modes in AlGaAs resonators on oxide, leading to a 4-fold Purcell enhancement of the emission of single embedded GaAs quantum dots. Numerical calculations reproduce the observations and suggest that the achievable performance of the resonator is only marginally affected in the explored tuning range. We expect the method to be applicable also to circular Bragg resonators based on other material platforms, thus increasing the device yield of cavity-enhanced solid-state quantum emitters

A source of entangled photons based on a cavity-enhanced and strain-tuned GaAs quantum dot

A quantum-light source that delivers photons with a high brightness and a high degree of entanglement is fundamental for the development of efficient entanglement-based quantum-key distribution systems. Among all possible candidates, epitaxial quantum dots are currently emerging as one of the brightest sources of highly entangled photons. However, the optimization of both brightness and entanglement currently requires different technologies that are difficult to combine in a scalable manner. In this work, we overcome this challenge by developing a novel device consisting of a quantum dot embedded in a circular Bragg resonator, in turn, integrated onto a micromachined piezoelectric actuator. The resonator engineers the light-matter interaction to empower extraction efficiencies up to 0.69(4). Simultaneously, the actuator manipulates strain fields that tune the quantum dot for the generation of entangled photons with fidelities up to 0.96(1). This hybrid technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of the key rates that plague current approaches to entanglement-based quantum key distribution and entanglement-based quantum networks. Introductio

Polarized and Un-Polarized Emission from a Single Emitter in a Bullseye Resonator

We present polarized |S|=0.99$\pm$0.01, and unpolarized |S|=0.03$\pm$0.01 emission from a single emitter embedded in a single, cylindrically symmetric device design. We show that the polarization stems from a position offset of the single emitter with respect to the cavity center, which breaks the cylindrical symmetry, and a position-dependent coupling to the frequency degenerate eigenmodes of the resonator structure. The experimental results are interpreted by using numerical simulations and by experimental mapping of the polarization-resolved far-field emission patterns. Our findings can be generalized to any nanophotonic structure where two orthogonal eigenmodes are not fully spatially overlapping.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Postfabrication Tuning of Circular Bragg Resonators for Enhanced Emitter-Cavity Coupling

Solid-state quantum emitters embedded in circular Bragg resonators are attractive due to their ability to emit quantum light with high brightness and low multiphoton probability. As for any emitter-microcavity system, fabrication imperfections limit the spatial and spectral overlap of the emitter with the cavity mode, thus limiting their coupling strength. Here, we show that an initial spectral mismatch can be corrected after device fabrication by repeated wet chemical etching steps. We demonstrate an ∼16 nm wavelength tuning for optical modes in AlGaAs resonators on oxide, leading to a 4-fold Purcell enhancement of the emission of single embedded GaAs quantum dots. Numerical calculations reproduce the observations and suggest that the achievable performance of the resonator is only marginally affected in the explored tuning range. We expect the method to be applicable also to circular Bragg resonators based on other material platforms, thus increasing the device yield of cavity-enhanced solid-state quantum emitters