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arXiv:1211.5922 · New Journal of Physics

A high-rate source for single photons in a pure quantum state

C Kurz, Jan Huwer, Michael Schug, Paul Müller, Jürgen Eschner

Published May 8, 2013• 24 citations
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Abstract

We report on the efficient generation of single photons, making use of spontaneous Raman scattering in a single trapped ion. The photons are collected through in-vacuum high-numerical-aperture objectives. Photon frequency, polarization and temporal shape are controlled through appropriate laser parameters, allowing for photons in a pure quantum state. These photons are suitable heralds for single-photon absorption in a single-ion quantum memory.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/15/5/055005

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•Jan 1, 2011•1 citation
We report on the efficient generation of single photons, making use of spontaneous Raman scattering in a single trapped ion. The photons are collected through in-vacuum high-numerical-aperture objectives. Photon frequency, polarization and temporal shape are controlled through appropriate laser parameters, allowing for photons in a pure quantum state. These photons are suitable heralds for single-photon absorption in a single-ion quantum memory.
Single atoms or atom-like emitters are the purest source of single photons, they are intrinsically incapable of multi-photon emission. To demonstrate this degree of photon number-state purity we have realized a single-photon source using a single ion trapped at the common focus of high numerical aperture lenses. Our trapped-ion source produces single-photon pulses with without any background subtraction. After subtracting detector dark counts the residual is less than 3 × 10 −4 (95% confidence interval). The multi-photon component of the source light field is low enough that we measure violation of a quantum non-Gaussian state witness, by this characterization the source output is indistinguishable from ideal attenuated single photons. In combination with efforts to enhance collection efficiency from single emitters, our results suggest that single trapped ions are not only ideal stationary qubits for quantum information processing, but promising sources of light for scalable optical quantum networks.
Long-range transport of quantum information across a network is most readily achieved through the use of photons as the information carriers. The nodes of such a quantum network are most naturally a quantum memory or information processor, which typically do not rely upon photonic qubits. Realizing a large-scale distributed quantum network therefore requires an efficient interface between the two physical manifestations of the quantum information. The most promising platform for realizing a quantum computer is the manipulation of trapped atomic ions, as this system has demonstrated all the fundamental requirements to realize a quantum computer. Additionally, trapped ions posses long coherence times necessary for quantum memories. The interface between atomic and photonic qubits relies on a high photon emission rate into the collected solid angle. Most methods of photon collection for quantum networks use a high numerical aperture microscope objective, which only collects on the order of 1% of all the emitted photons. This results in a small probability of successfully linking two quantum nodes. In this work, I present the design, simulation, and implementation of a trapped ion cavity QED system capable of improving the photon collection efficiency. A single ytterbium ion is coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. The photon scatter rate into the cavity mode is enhanced by a factor of 130 over the free-space scatter rate into the cavity solid angle. This represents the first step towards realizing a protocol to entangle the polarization of an emitted photon to the Zeeman sublevels of the ion with high photon collection efficiency. Simulations of the experimental system indicate that with an optical cavity up to 4% of the light emitted by the ion can be collected.