Nonclassical interference and entanglement generation using a photonic crystal fiber pair photon source

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics
• Quantum information processing
• Photonics

Background:

• Optical quantum information processing requires reliable sources of single photons and entangled photon pairs.
• Existing sources often face limitations in brightness, purity, or scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate key components for optical quantum information processing.
• To develop a bright source of heralded single photons.
• To develop a bright source of entangled photon pairs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a chi((3)) four-wave mixing process.
• Employed a pair of pump photons to generate correlated photons at 583 nm and 900 nm.
• Characterized heralded single photons and entangled photon pairs.

Main Results:

• Achieved nonclassical interference between heralded photons from independent sources with 95% visibility (corrected).
• Demonstrated an entangled photon pair source with 89% fidelity to a Bell state.
• Generated photons at widely spaced wavelengths.

Conclusions:

• The developed sources are promising for advancing optical quantum information processing.
• High visibility and fidelity indicate the potential for robust quantum operations.
• The method provides a scalable approach for generating quantum states of light.