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arXiv:1612.04676 · Quantum Science and Technology

A homodyne detector integrated onto a photonic chip for measuring quantum states and generating random numbers

Francesco Raffaelli, Giacomo Ferranti, Dylan H. Mahler, Philip Sibson, Jake Kennard, Alberto Santamato, Gary F. Sinclair, Damien Bonneau, Mark G. Thompson, Jonathan C. F. Matthews

Published Dec 21, 2017• 138 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Optical homodyne detection has found use as a characterisation tool in a range of quantum technologies. So far implementations have been limited to bulk optics. Here we present the optical integration of a homodyne detector onto a silicon photonics chip. The resulting device operates at high speed, up 150 MHz, it is compact and it operates with low noise, quantified with 11 dB clearance between shot noise and electronic noise. We perform on-chip quantum tomography of coherent states with the detector and show that it meets the requirements for characterising more general quantum states of light. We also show that the detector is able to produce quantum random numbers at a rate of 1.2 Gbps, by measuring the vacuum state of the electromagnetic field and applying off-line post processing. The produced random numbers pass all the statistical tests provided by the NIST test suite.

DOI
10.1088/2058-9565/aaa38f

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Optical homodyne detection has found use as a characterisation tool in a range of quantum technologies. So far implementations have been limited to bulk optics. Here we present the optical integration of a homodyne detector onto a silicon photonics chip. The resulting device operates at high speed, up 150 MHz, it is compact and it operates with low noise, quantified with 11 dB clearance between shot noise and electronic noise. We perform on-chip quantum tomography of coherent states with the detector and show that it meets the requirements for characterising more general quantum states of light. We also show that the detector is able to produce quantum random numbers at a rate of 1.2 Gbps, by measuring the vacuum state of the electromagnetic field and applying off-line post processing. The produced random numbers pass all the statistical tests provided by the NIST test suite.
Abstract The rapid development of quantum technology has driven the need for high-performance quantum signal processing modules. Balanced homodyne detector (BHD) is one of the most promising options for practical quantum state measurement, providing substantial advantages of cost-effectiveness, no cooling requirement, and system compactness. However, due to the stringent requirements in BHD design, it typically suffers from a relatively small operating bandwidth which limits the overall speed of a quantum system. In this study, we propose comprehensive modelling for the BHD in quantum applications and enhance the performance of BHDs based on our modelling. Specifically, we utilise a photonic chip approach and optimise the electronic design to create the integrated BHD, which significantly boosts the 3 dB bandwidth to 4.75 GHz and achieves a shot-noise-limited bandwidth of 23 GHz. We demonstrate the capability of this setup to generate quantum random numbers at a rate of 240 Gbit s−1, highlighting its potential for ultra-high-speed quantum communication and quantum cryptography applications.
Random numbers find applications in a range of different fields, from quantum key distribution and classical cryptography to fundamental science.They also find extensive use in gambling and lotteries.By exploiting the probabilistic nature of Quantum Mechanics, quantum random number generators (QRNGs) provide a secure and efficient means to produce random numbers.Most of the quantum random number generators demonstrated so far have been built in bulk optics, either using free space or fibre-optic components.While showing good performance, most of these demonstrations are strongly limited in real life applications, due to issues such as size, costs and the manufacturing process.In this thesis I report the demonstration of three different QRNGs based on integrated photonics.First, I demonstrated a QRNG based on homodyne measurement of optical vacuum states on a Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip.Second, I developed a SOI QRNG based on phase fluctuations from a laser diode.In these two schemes all the optical and opto-electronic components, excluding the laser, were integrated onto a silicon-on-insulator device.These schemes, being built on a silicon-on-insulator chip are potentially CMOS compatible and pave the way for being integrated onto other more complex systems.These QRNGs showed Gbps generation rates and passed the statistical tests provided by NIST.Third, I report the preliminary study of a QRNG based on homodyne measurement of optical vacuum states onto a Indium Phosphide (InP) chip.In this third experiment, all the components, including a laser diode, were monolithically integrated in the same chip, which provide a great advantage in terms of the overall size of the optics of the device.First, I would like to thank Jonathan, for the opportunity to pursue my PhD and for guiding my research in these four years.Thank you for giving me the chance to follow my curiosity and for pushing me to get the best out of my research.Thank you, Dylan, for being so helpful, always ready to answer my questions.I would like to thank Giacomo for sharing a big part of my research in these years
Optical homodyne detection is used in numerous quantum and classical applications that demand high levels of sensitivity. However, performance is typically limited due to the use of bulk optics and discrete receiver electronics. To address these performance issues, in this work we present a co-integrated balanced homodyne detector consisting of a silicon photonics optical front end and a custom integrated transimpedance amplifier designed in a 100 nm GaAs pHEMT technology. The high level of co-design and integration provides enhanced levels of stability, bandwidth, and noise performance. The presented detector shows a linear operation up to 28 dB quantum shot noise clearance and a high degree of common-mode rejection, at the same time achieving a shot-noise-limited bandwidth of more than 20 GHz. The high performance of the developed devices provide enhanced operation to many sensitive quantum applications such as continuous variable quantum key distribution, quantum random number generation, or high-speed quantum tomography.
Summary form only given. The homodyne detector is a primitive element in many quantum optics experiments. It is primarily a characterization device, used for measuring the quantum state of the electromagnetic field[1]. Quantum integrated photonics[2], in which optical sources, circuits, and detectors are monolithically integrated on a semiconductor chip, provides a compact, scalable, platform in which to implement quantum devices like the homodyne detector. Here, we present a homodyne detector integrated in silicon and use it to generate quantum random numbers.