57 research outputs found
Parametric fluorescence in periodically poled silica fibres
We report the observation of quasiphase matched parametric fluorescence from a periodically poled silica fiber. A pair-photon production rate of more than 100 MHz around 1532 nm was achieved in second-order nonlinear gratings for 300 mW of pump power at 766 nm. These results are very promising for the realization of reliable all-fiber single-photon sources for quantum cryptography systems and metrology applications
Quantum and Classical Noise in Practical Quantum Cryptography Systems based on polarization-entangled photons
Quantum-cryptography key distribution (QCKD) experiments have been recently
reported using polarization-entangled photons. However, in any practical
realization, quantum systems suffer from either unwanted or induced
interactions with the environment and the quantum measurement system, showing
up as quantum and, ultimately, statistical noise. In this paper, we investigate
how ideal polarization entanglement in spontaneous parametric downconversion
(SPDC) suffers quantum noise in its practical implementation as a secure
quantum system, yielding errors in the transmitted bit sequence. Because all
SPDC-based QCKD schemes rely on the measurement of coincidence to assert the
bit transmission between the two parties, we bundle up the overall quantum and
statistical noise in an exhaustive model to calculate the accidental
coincidences. This model predicts the quantum-bit error rate and the sifted key
and allows comparisons between different security criteria of the hitherto
proposed QCKD protocols, resulting in an objective assessment of performances
and advantages of different systems.Comment: Rev Tex Style, 2 columns, 7 figures, (a modified version will appear
on PRA
Experimental Controlled-NOT Logic Gate for Single Photons in the Coincidence Basis
We report a proof-of-principle demonstration of a probabilistic
controlled-NOT gate for single photons. Single-photon control and target qubits
were mixed with a single ancilla photon in a device constructed using only
linear optical elements. The successful operation of the controlled-NOT gate
relied on post-selected three-photon interference effects which required the
detection of the photons in the output modes.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; minor change
On-chip quantum interference between silicon photon-pair sources
Large-scale integrated quantum photonic technologies1, 2 will require on-chip integration of identical photon sources with reconfigurable waveguide circuits. Relatively complex quantum circuits have been demonstrated already1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, but few studies acknowledge the pressing need to integrate photon sources and waveguide circuits together on-chip8, 9. A key step towards such large-scale quantum technologies is the integration of just two individual photon sources within a waveguide circuit, and the demonstration of high-visibility quantum interference between them. Here, we report a silicon-on-insulator device that combines two four-wave mixing sources in an interferometer with a reconfigurable phase shifter. We configured the device to create and manipulate two-colour (non-degenerate) or same-colour (degenerate) path-entangled or path-unentangled photon pairs. We observed up to 100.0 ± 0.4% visibility quantum interference on-chip, and up to 95 ± 4% off-chip. Our device removes the need for external photon sources, provides a path to increasing the complexity of quantum photonic circuits and is a first step towards fully integrated quantum technologies
Conditional generation of sub-Poissonian light from two-mode squeezed vacuum via balanced homodyne detection on idler mode
A simple scheme for conditional generation of nonclassical light with
sub-Poissonian photon-number statistics is proposed. The method utilizes
entanglement of signal and idler modes in two-mode squeezed vacuum state
generated in optical parametric amplifier. A quadrature component of the idler
mode is measured in balanced homodyne detector and only those experimental runs
where the absolute value of the measured quadrature is higher than certain
threshold are accepted. If the threshold is large enough then the conditional
output state of signal mode exhibits reduction of photon-number fluctuations
below the coherent-state level.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, REVTe
Observation of correlated-photon statistics using a single detector
We report experimental observations of correlated-photon statistics in the
single-photon detection rate. The usual quantum interference in a two-photon
polarization interferometer always accompanies a dip in the single detector
counting rate, regardless of whether a dip or peak is seen in the coincidence
rate. This effect is explained by taking into account all possible photon
number states that reach the detector, rather than considering just the state
post-selected by the coincidence measurement. We also report an
interferometeric scheme in which the interference peak or dip in coincidence
corresponds directly to a peak or dip in the single-photon detection rate.Comment: 4 pages, two-column (minor errors corrected.
Constructing 3D crystal templates for photonic band gap materials using holographic optical tweezers
A simple and robust method is presented for the construction of 3-dimensional crystals from silica and polystyrene microspheres. The crystals are suitable for use as templates in the production of three-dimensional photonic band gap (PBG) materials. Manipulation of the microspheres was achieved using a dynamic holographic assembler (DHA) consisting of computer controlled holographic optical tweezers. Attachment of the microspheres was achieved by adjusting their colloidal interactions during assembly. The method is demonstrated by constructing a variety of 3-dimensional crystals using spheres ranging in size from 3 µm down to 800 nm. A major advantage of the technique is that it may be used to build structures that cannot be made using self-assembly. This is illustrated through the construction of crystals in which line defects have been deliberately included, and by building simple cubic structures
Two qubits of a W state violate Bell's inequality beyond Cirel'son's bound
It is shown that the correlations between two qubits selected from a trio
prepared in a W state violate the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality more
than the correlations between two qubits in any quantum state. Such a violation
beyond Cirel'son's bound is smaller than the one achieved by two qubits
selected from a trio in a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state [A. Cabello, Phys.
Rev. Lett. 88, 060403 (2002)]. However, it has the advantage that all local
observers can know from their own measurements whether their qubits belongs or
not to the selected pair.Comment: REVTeX4, 5 page
Quantum diffraction and interference of spatially correlated photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion
We demonstrate one- and two-photon diffraction and interference experiments
utilizing parametric down-converted photon pairs (biphotons) and a transmission
grating. With two-photon detection, the biphoton exhibits a
diffraction-interference pattern equivalent to that of an effective single
particle that is associated with half the wavelength of the constituent
photons. With one-photon detection, however no diffraction-interference pattern
is observed. We show that these phenomena originate from the spatial quantum
correlation between the down-converted photons.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
A Mach-Zehnder Interferometer for a Two-Photon Wave Packet
We propose an experiment that permits observation of the de Broglie
two-photon wave packet behavior for a pair of photons, using a Mach-Zehnder
interferometer. It is based on the use of pulsed lasers to generate pairs of
photons via spontaneous parametric down-conversion and the post-selection of
events. It differs from previous realizations by the use of a third
time-correlated photon to engineer the state of the photons. The same technique
can give us which-path information via an ``interaction-free'' experiment and
can be used in other experiments on the foundations of quantum mechanics
related to wave-particle duality and to nonlocality.Comment: Submmited for publication in Physical Review
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