Photon-pair generation by four-wave mixing in optical fibers

We present a theory to quantify a fundamental limit on correlated photon pairs generated through four-wave mixing inside optical fibers in the presence of spontaneous Raman scattering (SpRS). Our theory is able to explain current experimental data. We show that if correlated photon pairs are generated with polarization orthogonal to the pump the effect of SpRS is significantly reduced over a broad spectral region extending from 5 to 15 THz.