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arXiv:1605.00107 · International Conference on Photonics, Optics and Laser Technology

Fast Polarization Switch for Polarization-based Quantum Communication

Vinicius M. Lima, Gustavo Castro do Amaral, Felipe Calliari, Guilherme P. Temporão, Jean Pierre von der Weid, Joaquim Dias Garcia, João Pedro D. Garcia

Published Jan 1, 2017• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a complete optoelectronic unit for polarization visualization, switching and control. The system is based on an FPGA unit and comprises: an acquisition unit containing an analog polarimeter and digital-to-analog converters, an FPGA capable of implementing an optimal algorithm for three-stage arbitrary polarization tracking, and an electronic driver with analog-to-digital converters capable of interfacing with Lithium-Niobate-based Polarization Controllers. The results, determined via simulation of real-parameter devices, show that fast polarization switch is achievable.

DOI
10.5220/0006212202880293

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We present a complete optoelectronic unit for polarization visualization, switching and control. The system is based on an FPGA unit and comprises: an acquisition unit containing an analog polarimeter and digital-to-analog converters, an FPGA capable of implementing an optimal algorithm for three-stage arbitrary polarization tracking, and an electronic driver with analog-to-digital converters capable of interfacing with Lithium-Niobate-based Polarization Controllers. The results, determined via simulation of real-parameter devices, show that fast polarization switch is achievable.
We present the design and experimental implementation of a compact high-voltage driver tailored for multi-wave-plate electro-optical polarization controllers (EPC) in polarization-based DV-QKD subsystems. The driver is capable of deriving a 140 Vppoutput swing per wave-plate, supports modulation bandwidths up to 7.5MHz, with 10mV resolution, and incorporates per-channel Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) monitoring for real-time feedback. A two-stage architecture, with a low-voltage pre-amplification stage followed by a high-voltage output stage, is used with the input being provided by a 16-channel FMC216 Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) board, connected to Xilinx Zynq FPGA. Electrical characterization shows that both rise times (∼30ns) and maximum stable square-wave frequency, up to 7.5 MHz, improve as the input Vppincreases, with output gain scaling linearly with input amplitude. Optical testing demonstrates reliable polarization state stability and speed. By enabling fast, precise State of Polarization (SOP) control without bulky stabilization hardware, our driver significantly simplifies the design of polarization-encoded QKD transmitters and receivers, paving the way toward cost-effective, high-rate quantum communications.
Abstract The purpose of the FPGA electronic control system for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is to improve the analog electronic system in optoelectronic conversion. In the existence of the Mezzanine FPGA board, the main conversion of optical laser signal and optical detector signal can be improved. Mezzanine board can reduce the noise errors during the transmission and receiving a signal. Commonly, the optical signal needs to interface with an analog electronic system. This process requires the conversion process and interfacing with a digital signal to control the optical device and produce a good quality optical signal. The Mezzanine board can reduce the uncertainty during signal conversion and gives the digital capability to control the optical devices. The optical modulation signal for phase modulator control can achieve a full complete phase shift in the Mezzanine board. Plus, the voltage phase has capability up to 10 V with an accuracy of 2.4 µV. The time conversion for phase modulator can be extended in the Mezzanine board based on the digital control signal from FPGA. The system is capable to extend into multiple timing control to handle all the signal and to synchronize the signal in receiving, transmission or in between of the transmission. Thus, the system can handle one way or two-way QKD system accordingly.
Polarization controller (PC) serves as a critical component for manipulating the polarization state of light and holds great significance in both classical and quantum communication systems. Anisotropic electro-optic (EO) modulation in thin-film lithium niobate provides a new avenue for realizing high-speed PCs. This paper presents a high-performance on-chip PC with a simple architecture, assembled from linear tapers, Y-branch splitters, and EO phase shifters. The proposed PC has an ultra-broad working bandwidth that covers the entire optical communication spectrum. It enables arbitrary polarization manipulation. Endless polarization generation is realized at typical wavelengths of 1550 and 1310 nm, while exhibiting a record-high dynamic polarization extinction ratio >43 dB. High-speed random four-polarization encoding for quantum key distribution at a switching speed of 20 MHz is demonstrated. Enabling polarization manipulation with high speed, high PER and broad bandwidth, the PC offers huge potential for performance enhancement in optical systems.
A real-time polarization control system employing two non-orthogonal reference signals multiplexed in either time or wavelength with the data signal is presented. It is shown, theoretically and experimentally, that complete control of multiple polarization states can be attained employing polarization controllers in closed-loop configuration. Experimental results on the wavelength multiplexing setup show that negligible added penalties, corresponding to an average added optical Quantum Bit Error Rate of 0.044%, can be achieved with response times smaller than 10 ms, without significant introduction of noise counts in the quantum channel.
Polarization-encoded free-space quantum communication requires a quantum state source featuring fast modulation, long-term stability, and a low intrinsic error rate. Here we present a polarization encoder that, contrary to previous solutions, generates predetermined polarization states with a fixed reference frame in free-space. The proposed device does not require calibration either at the transmitter or at the receiver and achieves long-term stability. A proof-of-concept experiment is also reported, demonstrating a quantum bit error rate lower than 0.2% for several hours without any active recalibration.