No Arabic abstract
The realization of a future quantum Internet requires processing and storing quantum information at local nodes, and interconnecting distant nodes using free-space and fibre-optic links. Quantum memories for light are key elements of such quantum networks. However, to date, neither an atomic quantum memory for non-classical states of light operating at a wavelength compatible with standard telecom fibre infrastructure, nor a fibre-based implementation of a quantum memory has been reported. Here we demonstrate the storage and faithful recall of the state of a 1532 nm wavelength photon, entangled with a 795 nm photon, in an ensemble of cryogenically cooled erbium ions doped into a 20 meter-long silicate fibre using a photon-echo quantum memory protocol. Despite its currently limited efficiency and storage time, our broadband light-matter interface brings fibre-based quantum networks one step closer to reality. Furthermore, it facilitates novel tests of light-matter interaction and collective atomic effects in unconventional materials.
We report on an experiment that demonstrates the frequency up-conversion of telecommunication wavelength single-photon-level pulses to be resonant with a $mathrm{Pr}^{3+}$:$mathrm{Y}_2mathrm{Si}mathrm{O}_5$ crystal. We convert the telecom photons at $1570,mathrm{nm}$ to $606,mathrm{nm}$ using a periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate nonlinear waveguide. The maximum device efficiency (which includes all optical loss) is inferred to be $eta_{mathrm{dev}}^{mathrm{max}} = 22 pm 1,%$ (internal efficiency $eta_{mathrm{int}} = 75pm8,%$) with a signal to noise ratio exceeding 1 for single-photon-level pulses with durations of up to 560$,$ns. The converted light is then stored in the crystal using the atomic frequency comb scheme with storage and retrieval efficiencies exceeding $eta_{mathrm{AFC}} = 20,%$ for predetermined storage times of up to $5,mumathrm{s}$. The retrieved light is time delayed from the noisy conversion process allowing us to measure a signal to noise ratio exceeding 100 with telecom single-photon-level inputs. These results represent the first demonstration of single-photon-level optical storage interfaced with frequency up-conversion.
Entangled light emitting diodes based on semiconductor quantum dots are promising devices for security sensitive quantum network applications, thanks to their natural lack of multi photon-pair generation. Apart from telecom wavelength emission, network integrability of these sources ideally requires electrical operation for deployment in compact systems in the field. For multiplexing of entangled photons with classical data traffic, emission in the telecom O-band and tuneability to the nearest wavelength channel in compliance with coarse wavelength division multiplexing standards (20 nm channel spacing) is highly desirable. Here we show the first fully electrically operated telecom entangled light emitting diode with wavelength tuneability of more than 25nm, deployed in an installed fiber network. With the source tuned to 1310.00 nm, we demonstrate multiplexing of true single entangled photons with classical data traffic and achieve entanglement fidelities above 95% on an installed fiber in a city.
Bulk diamond phonons have been shown to be a versatile platform for the generation, storage, and manipulation of high-bandwidth quantum states of light. Here we demonstrate a diamond quantum memory that stores, and releases on demand, an arbitrarily polarized $sim$250 fs duration photonic qubit. The single-mode nature of the memory is overcome by mapping the two degrees of polarization of the qubit, via Raman transitions, onto two spatially distinct optical phonon modes located in the same diamond crystal. The two modes are coherently recombined upon retrieval and quantum process tomography confirms that the memory faithfully reproduces the input state with average fidelity $0.784pm0.004$ with a total memory efficiency of $(0.76pm0.03)%$. In an additional demonstration, one photon of a polarization-entangled pair is stored in the memory. We report that entanglement persists in the retrieved state for up to 1.3 ps of storage time. These results demonstrate that the diamond phonon platform can be used in concert with polarization qubits, a key requirement for polarization-encoded photonic processing.
High-dimensional entanglement has demonstrated potential for increasing channel capacity and resistance to noise in quantum information processing. However, its distribution is a challenging task, imposing a severe restriction on its application. Here we report the first distribution of three-dimensional orbital angular momentum (OAM) entanglement via a 1-km-long optical fibre. Using an actively-stabilizing phase pre-compensation technique, we successfully transport one photon of a three-dimensional OAM entangled photon pair through the fibre. The distributed OAM entangled state still shows a fidelity up to 71% with respect to the three-dimensional maximal-entangled-state (MES). In addition, we certify that the high-dimensional quantum entanglement survives the transportation by violating a generalized Bell inequality, obtaining a violation of $sim3$ standard deviations with $I_{3}=2.12pm0.04$. The method we developed can be extended to higher OAM dimension and larger distances in principle. Our results make a significant step towards future OAM-based high-dimensional long-distance quantum communication.
Up to this point streak-cameras have been a powerful tool for temporal characterization of ultrafast light pulses even at the single photon level. However, the low signal-to-noise ratio in the infrared range prevents measurement on weak light sources in the telecom regime. We present an approach to circumvent this problem. The method utilizes an up-conversion process in periodically poled waveguides in Lithium Niobate. We convert single photons from a parametric down-conversion source in order to reach the point of maximum detection efficiency of commercially available streak-cameras. We explore phase-matching configurations to investigate the up-conversion scheme in real-world applications.