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arXiv:1405.3765 · Nano Letters

Polarization Entangled Photons from Quantum Dots Embedded in Nanowires

Tobias Huber, Ana Predojević, Milad Khoshnegar, Dan Dalacu, Philip J. Poole, Hamed Majedi, Gregor Weihs

Published Nov 14, 2014• 89 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this Letter, we present entanglement generated from a novel structure: a single InAsP quantum dot embedded in an InP nanowire. These structures can grow in a site-controlled way and exhibit high collection efficiency; we detect 0.5 million biexciton counts per second coupled into a single mode fiber with a standard commercial avalanche photo diode. If we correct for the known setup losses and detector efficiency, we get an extraction efficiency of 15(3) %. For the measured polarization entanglement, we observe a fidelity of 0.76(2) to a reference maximally entangled state as well as a concurrence of 0.57(6).

DOI
10.1021/nl503581d

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In this Letter, we present entanglement generated from a novel structure: a single InAsP quantum dot embedded in an InP nanowire. These structures can grow in a site-controlled way and exhibit high collection efficiency; we detect 0.5 million biexciton counts per second coupled into a single mode fiber with a standard commercial avalanche photo diode. If we correct for the known setup losses and detector efficiency, we get an extraction efficiency of 15(3) %. For the measured polarization entanglement, we observe a fidelity of 0.76(2) to a reference maximally entangled state as well as a concurrence of 0.57(6).
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The biexciton-exciton cascade in quantum dots (QDs) yields entangled photon pairs, and recent developments in engineering photonic structures around the dot for efficient light extraction and proper control of the fine-structure splitting, has led to significant breakthroughs in achieving an ideal entangled photon source -- exhibiting properties such as high extraction efficiency, low multi-photon emission and high entanglement fidelity. This thesis presents our development in enhancing the performance of entangled photon generation of QDs towards near-unity efficiency and fidelity. We study InAsP quantum dots in photonic nanowires for efficient light extraction and to reveal the effect of a quantum dot with high nuclear spin on the entanglement fidelity. \n \nRevealing the ultimate limit of entanglement in QDs is still a challenge, and it is generally believed that a sample made of atoms possessing high nuclear spins exhibits limited entanglement due to the dephasing caused by spin-spin interactions. Moreover, it is assumed that the fine-structure splitting of QDs degrades the entanglement fidelity, as it introduces a which-path information in the biexciton-exciton cascade. We have performed two-photon state tomography on InAsP QDs in InP nanowires, comprising of nuclear spin 9/2, and have realized that such a source is capable of generating entangled photon pairs with negligible dephasing during the emission lifetime, with a peak concurrence C = 77% and a count-weighted average concurrence 62%. This result was obtained by comparing the outcome of our measurements with a theoretical model that assumes no dephasing, however, takes into account the details of the detection system, i.e., dark-count rates and timing resolution, as well as, specific features of the QD, e.g., emission lifetime, fine-structure splitting, multi-photon emission probability, etc. Proper engineering of tapered nanowires allows for extraction of the emitted photons with high efficiency, which makes it possible to perform a complete two-photon state tomography and monitoring the evolution of the exciton state, as well as, the entanglement fidelity of the photon-pair, during the emission lifetime. This enabled us to reveal the effect of an imperfect detection system, as well as, multi-photon emission in recording low values for entanglement fidelity. Moreover, our calculations show that proper analysis of the time-energy uncertainty relation provides the necessary means to measure a high entanglement fidelity even in the presence of fine-structure splitting; since, a detection system with high timing resolution can overlook the which-path information, as the uncertainty in measuring the energy of the photons will be larger than the fine-structure splitting. Therefore, realizing near-unity entanglement fidelity using QDs is merely a technical challenge, i.e., resonant excitation of the QD, in order to suppress multi-photon emission, and use of a detection system with low timing jitter and dark-count rates. \n \nAs a next step to achieve this goal, we have performed the resonant two-photon excitation scheme for the first time on a QD in a photonic nanowire, which resulted in an enhancement of the performance of our source. We managed to improve the single-photon purity of the source, g^(2)(0), by two orders of magnitude; moreover, analysis of the emission spectrum reveals that this scheme increases the pair-production efficiency to values above 93% for the biexciton-exciton cascade. Taking the efficiency of our experimental setup into consideration, the results indicate an approximately eight-fold enhancement of the pair-extraction efficiency as compared to the quasi-resonant excitation scheme (12.55% vs. 1.6%). Based on these results, two-photon state tomography on our source, under resonant two-photon excitation and performed by a detection system with high timing resolution and low dark-count rates, yields near-unity entanglement fidelity. By considering the enhancement in pair-extraction efficiency that we obtained, QDs in photonic nanowires can surpass the performance of spontaneous parametric down conversion sources in terms of entanglement fidelity and pair-extraction efficiency. \n \nEven though we have shown a finite fine-structure splitting does not degrade the entanglement fidelity in QDs, for various application in quantum information removing the fine-structure splitting is beneficial. Therefore, we have proposed a universal all-optical approach for removing the fine-structure splitting. In this scheme, the energy of the photons are shifted by using a pair of quarter-wave plates and fast-rotating half-wave plates after they have been emitted; and as a result, the energy difference between the two decay paths in the biexciton-exciton cascade is erased. This method is applicable to any QD source and can be easily implemented using the currently available technology; moreover, no further sample processing will be required in order to achieve zero fine-structure splitting.
A bright photon source that combines high-fidelity entanglement, on-demand generation, high extraction efficiency, directional and coherent emission, as well as position control at the nanoscale is required for implementing ambitious schemes in quantum information processing, such as that of a quantum repeater. Still, all of these properties have not yet been achieved in a single device. Semiconductor quantum dots embedded in nanowire waveguides potentially satisfy all of these requirements; however, although theoretically predicted, entanglement has not yet been demonstrated for a nanowire quantum dot. Here, we demonstrate a bright and coherent source of strongly entangled photon pairs from a position-controlled nanowire quantum dot with a fidelity as high as 0.859±0.006 and concurrence of 0.80±0.02. The two-photon quantum state is modified via the nanowire shape. Our new nanoscale entangled photon source can be integrated at desired positions in a quantum photonic circuit, single-electron devices and light-emitting diodes.
Quantum dots (QDs) embedded inside indium-phosphide (InP) nanowires have the potential to be bright, on-demand sources of perfect polarization-entangled photon pairs fabricated with near-unity yields. However, to date very high degrees of entanglement have not yet been measured from such devices. By performing quantum state tomography with state-of-the-art superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and two-photon resonant excitation of the QD, we show that these sources are indeed capable of producing near-unity entangled photon pairs. We measure a raw peak fidelity of 97.5% +/- 0.8% and a lifetime-weighted fidelity of 0.94% +/- 0.04%. These results conclusively demonstrate that the majority of the degradation from unity-measured entanglement fidelity in earlier studies was not due to spin-spin dephasing from the large 9/2 nuclear spin of indium. These results solidify InP nanowire QDs as a promising platform for future quantum photonics applications.
Resonant excitation of the biexciton state in an InAsP quantum dot by a phase-coherent pair of picosecond pulses allows preparing time-bin entangled pairs of photons via the biexciton–exciton cascade. We show that this scheme can be implemented for a dot embedded in an InP nanowire. The underlying physical mechanisms can be represented and quantitatively analyzed by an effective three-level open system master equation. Simulation parameters including decay and intensity dependent dephasing rates are extracted from experimental data, which in turn let us predict the resulting entanglement and optimal operating conditions.
Semiconductor quantum dots are potential sources for generating polarization-entangled photons efficiently. The main prerequisite for such generation based on biexciton–exciton cascaded emission is to control the exciton fine-structure splitting. Among various techniques investigated for this purpose, an electric field is a promising means to facilitate the integration into optoelectronic devices. Here we demonstrate the generation of polarization-entangled photons from single GaAs quantum dots by an electric field. In contrast to previous studies, which were limited to In(Ga)As quantum dots, GaAs island quantum dots formed by a thickness fluctuation were used because they exhibit a larger oscillator strength and emit light with a shorter wavelength. A forward voltage was applied to a Schottky diode to control the fine-structure splitting. We observed a decrease and suppression in the fine-structure splitting of the studied single quantum dot with the field, which enabled us to generate polarization-entangled photons with a high fidelity of 0.72±0.05. As quantum information and communication experiments grow in sophistication, the need for efficient sources of entangled photons escalates. Using exciton and biexciton emission in GaAs island quantum dots, Ghaliet al. demonstrate the electric field-induced generation of entangled photons with high fidelity.