Observation of binary phase states of time-multiplexed degenerate optical parametric oscillator pulses generated...

We generated time-multiplexed degenerate optical parametric oscillator (DOPO) pulses using a nonlinear fiber Sagnac loop as a phase-sensitive amplifier (PSA), where the pump and amplified light in pump-signal-idler degenerate four-wave mixing can be spatially separated. By placing the PSA in a fiber cavity, we successfully generated more than 5000 time-multiplexed DOPO pulses. We confirmed the bifurcation of pulse phases to 0 or π relative to the pump phase, which makes them useful for representing Ising spins in an Ising model solver based on coherent optical oscillator networks. We also confirmed inherent randomness of the DOPO phases using the National Institute of Standards and Technology random number test.