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Broadband Spectral Manipulation of Single Photons Using Cross-Phase Modulation
Kate L Fenwick1, Frédéric Bouchard1, Guillaume Thekkadath1
1National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada.
Physical Review Letters
|March 20, 2026
Summary
Researchers demonstrate precise control over single photon frequency and bandwidth using fiber optics. This breakthrough advances quantum networking and quantum information processing applications.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Photonics
- Quantum information science
Background:
- Precise manipulation of light's frequency and bandwidth is vital for classical and quantum technologies.
- Applications span communication, spectroscopy, imaging, signal processing, and quantum networking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate deterministic, broadband frequency control of single photons.
- To explore the potential for interfacing disparate quantum systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cross-phase modulation in a short single-mode fiber.
- Employed an intense, ultrafast pump pulse to induce a tunable phase shift on single photons.
- Measured spectral properties using a time-of-flight spectrometer and superconducting nanowire detectors.
Main Results:
- Achieved absolute frequency shifts up to ±6.42 THz.
- Demonstrated bandwidth manipulation by factors ranging from 0.76 to 7.1.
- Confirmed deterministic and broadband control of heralded telecom-band single photons.
Conclusions:
- The developed scheme provides a compact and scalable method for spectral routing and bandwidth engineering.
- This technique is crucial for advancing ultrafast quantum networking and quantum information processing.
