Reducing noise in single-photon-level frequency conversion

We demonstrate low-noise and efficient frequency conversion by sum-frequency mixing in a periodically poled LiNbO 3 (PPLN) waveguide. Using a 1556 nm pump, 1302 nm photons are efficiently converted to 709 nm photons. We obtain 70% conversion efficiency in the PPLN waveguide and >50% external conversion efficiency with 600 noise counts per second at peak conversion with continuous-wave pumping. We simultaneously achieve low noise and high conversion efficiency by careful spectral filtering. We discuss the impact of low-noise frequency translation on single-photon upconversion detection and quantum information applications. . These systems generally operate at different wavelengths; frequency conversion can be used to match the wavelengths. In frequency translation, signal photons (at angular frequency ω s ) interact with a strong pump (ω p ) to produce converted photons (ω c ), where ω c ω p ω s for upconversion or ω c jω p − ω s j for downconversion. The quantum state is preserved in both upconversion and downconversio

Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits

This work was supported by the JST through its ImPACT Program, NICT, NSF CCR-08 29694, NIST 60NANB9D9170, Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, and the State of Bavaria. C.L. and M.M.F. acknowledge support through the AFOSR. C.M.N. acknowledges a SU2P Entrepreneurial Fellowship and R.H.H. acknowledges a Royal Society University Research Fellowship.Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe