Silicon source of frequency-bin entangled photons

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics
• Integrated photonics
• Solid-state physics

Background:

• Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for quantum information processing.
• Integrated photonics offers a scalable platform for complex optical systems.
• On-chip generation of entangled photons is crucial for miniaturizing quantum devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate an integrated source of frequency-entangled photon pairs on a silicon photonics chip.
• To characterize the performance of the entanglement source.
• To explore the potential for on-chip integration with other photonic components.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a silicon photonics chip housing the photon source.
• Measurement of the coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) of photon pairs.
• Verification of entanglement via two-photon frequency interference measurements.

Main Results:

• An integrated source of frequency-entangled photon pairs was successfully demonstrated.
• The emitter achieved a coincidence-to-accidental ratio exceeding 10^3.
• Two-photon frequency interference exhibited a high visibility of 94.6% ± 1.1%, confirming entanglement.

Conclusions:

• The developed silicon photonics chip provides a high-quality source of frequency-entangled photons.
• This on-chip source is compatible with existing silicon photonics technologies.
• The results enable the integration of frequency-bin entanglement sources with modulators and other active/passive devices on a single chip.