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arXiv:0907.1902 · Physical Review Letters

Efficient Optical Quantum State Engineering

Kevin T. McCusker, Paul G. Kwiat

Published Oct 14, 2009• 66 citations
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Abstract

We discuss a novel method of efficiently producing multiphoton states using repeated spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Specifically, by attempting down-conversion several times, we can pseudodeterministically add photons to a mode, producing various several-photon states, e.g., Fock states and N00N states (number-path entangled states of the form |N(A), 0(B)>+|0(A), N(B)>). This scheme is exponentially more efficient than previous proposals; we discuss expected performance and experimental limitations.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.103.163602

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We discuss a novel method of efficiently producing multiphoton states using repeated spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Specifically, by attempting down-conversion several times, we can pseudodeterministically add photons to a mode, producing various several-photon states, e.g., Fock states and N00N states (number-path entangled states of the form |N(A), 0(B)>+|0(A), N(B)>). This scheme is exponentially more efficient than previous proposals; we discuss expected performance and experimental limitations.
Over a century after the modern prediction of the existence of individual particles of light by Albert Einstein, a reliable source of this simple quantum state of one photon does not exist. While common light sources such as a light bulb, LED, or laser can produce a pulse of light with an average of one photon, there is (currently) no way of knowing the number of photons in that pulse without first absorbing (and thereby destroying) them. Spontaneous parametric down-conversion, a process in which one high-energy photon splits into two lower-energy photons, allows us to prepare a single-photon state by detecting one of the photons, which then heralds the existence of its twin. This process has been the workhorse of quantum optics, allowing demonstrations of a myriad of quantum processes and protocols, such as entanglement, cryptography, superdense coding, teleportation, and simple quantum computing demonstrations. All of these processes would benefit from better engineering of the underlying down-conversion process, but despite significant effort (both theoretical and experimental), optimization of this process is ongoing. The focus of this work is to optimize certain aspects of a down-conversion source, and then use this tool in novel experiments not otherwise feasible. Specifically, the goal is to optimize the heralding efficiency of the down-conversion photons, i.e., the probability that if one photon is detected, the other photon is also detected. This source is then applied to two experiments (a single-photon source, and a quantum cryptography implementation), and the detailed theory of an additional application (a source of Fock states and path-entangled states, called N00N states) is discussed, along with some other possible applications.
Efficiently creating optical quantum states, both simple (e.g., pure single-photon states) and complex (e.g., polarization-entangled but spectrally unentangled photon pairs), remains an experimental challenge. We report on a novel method that allows for efficiently preparing certain classes of states: by weakly driving repeated downconversion in a cavity, we can pseudo-deterministically add photons to a state, preparing Fock states of definite photon number. We discuss expected performance and experimental limitations, including the difficulty of creating pure photons at a high rate. Additionally, we report on our progress in engineering high-rate spatio-spectrally unentangled downconversion, a key technology for optical quantum information processing, and propose a novel 4-photon experimental scheme to test the intrinsic indistinguishability of the photons from this source.
Multiphoton hyperentangement is fundamental in optical quantum information processing. Existing theory and experiments usually focus on producing two-photon hyperentanglement and multiphoton entangled states encoded in a single degree of freedom. Multiphoton entangled states have until now relied on the outcome postselection, a procedure where only the measurement results corresponding to the desired state are considered. Such an approach severely limits the usefulness of the resulting entangled states. We present the protocols of direct production of three- and four-photon hyperentanglement and extend the approach to an arbitrary number of photons through a straightforward cascade of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) sources. The generated multiphoton hyperentangled states are encoded in polarization-spatial modes and polarization-time bin degrees of freedom, respectively. Numerical calculation shows that if the average photon number $\ensuremath{\mu}$ is 1, the down-conversion efficiency is $7.6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ and the repetition frequency of the laser is 109{10}^{9}109 Hz, the number of the generation of three-photon and four-photon hyperentanglement after cascading can reach about $5.78\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ and $4.44\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}$ pairs per second, respectively. By eliminating the constraints of outcome postselection, our protocols may represent progresses for multiphoton hyperentangement generation and provide a pivotal role in future multiparty and high-capacity communication networks.
A scheme for the enhanced generation of higher photon-number states is realized, using an optical time-multiplexing setting that exploits a parametric down-conversion source for an iterative state generation. We use a quantum feedback mechanism for already generated photons to induce self-seeding of the consecutive nonlinear process, enabling us to coherently add photons to the light that propagates in the feedback loop. The addition can be carried out for any chosen number of round trips, resulting in a successive buildup of multiphoton states. Our system is only limited by loop losses. The looped design is rendered possible by a carefully engineered waveguide source that is compatible with and preserves the shape of the propagating mode. We compare the fidelities and success probabilities of our protocol with the common direct heralding of photon-number states. This comparison reveals that, for same the fidelity, our feedback-based setup significantly enhances success probabilities, being vital for an efficient utilization in quantum technologies. Moreover, quantum characteristics of the produced states are analyzed, and the flexibility of producing higher photon-number states with our setup beyond the common direct heralding is demonstrated.