Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics
• Quantum information science
• Photonics

Background:

• Preparing high-dimensional quantum states on-chip is challenging due to complex quantum circuitry.
• Existing methods lack practicality for generating and manipulating complex quantum states efficiently.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a practical method for generating and coherently manipulating pulsed quantum frequency combs.
• To enable the creation of high-dimensional, frequency-bin entangled, two-photon states on-chip.
• To establish a scalable foundation for quantum state preparation and manipulation in the frequency domain.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a nested-cavity, actively mode-locked excitation of a nonlinear micro-cavity.
• Generated pulsed quantum frequency combs with high generation rates.
• Employed standard telecommunications components (programmable filters, electro-optic modulators) for coherent manipulation.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated high-dimensional, frequency-bin entangled, two-photon states.
• Demonstrated coherent manipulation of quantum states using accessible photonic components.
• Detailed characterization measurements including density matrix reconstruction and coincidence detection were performed.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers an accessible, reconfigurable, and scalable approach for quantum state generation and manipulation.
• This technique overcomes previous limitations in on-chip high-dimensional quantum state preparation.
• The work provides a foundation for advanced quantum information processing protocols in the frequency domain.