Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1703.08114 · Optics Express

Mach-Zehnder interferometer using frequency-domain beamsplitter

Toshiki Kobayashi, Daisuke Yamazaki, Kenichiro Matsuki, Rikizo Ikuta, Shigehito Miki, Taro Yamashita, Hirotaka Terai, Takashi Yamamoto, Masato Koashi, Nobuyuki Imoto

Published May 12, 2017• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate a first-order interference between coherent light at 1580 nm and 795 nm by using a frequency-domain Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The MZI is implemented by two frequency-domain BSs based on a second-order nonlinear optical effect in a periodically-poled lithium niobate waveguide with a strong pump light. The observed visibility is over 0.99 at 50% conversion efficiencies of the BSs. Toward photonic quantum information processing, sufficiently small background photon rate is necessary. From measurement results with a superconducting single photon detector (SSPD), we discuss the feasibility of the frequency-domain MZI in a quantum regime. Our estimation shows that the single photon interference with the visibility above 0.9 is feasible with practical settings.

DOI
10.1364/oe.25.012052

Related papers

Periodically poled thin-film lithium niobate ring Mach Zehnder coupling interferometer as an efficient quantum light source

Mrinmoy Kundu, Bejoy Sikder, Heqing Huang +2 more

Single photons and squeezed light are the two primary workhorses for quantum computation and quantum communication. Generating high-efficiency single photons with high purity and heralding efficiency is the prerequisite for photonic quantum computers. At the same time, generating high-efficiency scalable squeezed light is the prerequisite for continuous variable quantum computing along with sensing applications. Here, we propose a symmetric ring-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (RMZI), which includes a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide as an efficient source of squeezed light and a single-photon source. We numerically show that our proposed design can generate tunable squeezed light with a squeezing level higher than -12 dB with sub-milli-watt (mW) pump power. The proposed device can also generate single photons with purity as high as 99(95)% with heralding efficiency 94(99)% using only 20 ps long pulses. Our proposed design is fully compatible with current fabrication technology.

arXiv:2408.03550•Optics Express•Sep 26, 2025•3 citations

High-Visibility Franson Interference Enabled by Passive Photonic Integrated Interferometers at Telecom Wavelengths

Ramin Emadi, Domenico Ribezzo, Giulia Guarda +2 more

High-visibility Franson interference at telecom C-band wavelengths is achieved using a cascaded periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide photon-pair source combined with fully passive, path-imbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers implemented on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The interferometers require neither on-chip phase shifters nor active stabilization; instead, the phase is scanned via thermal tuning of the chip. By employing a narrow-linewidth continuous-wave (CW) pump and dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) filtering, energy-time entangled photon pairs with high spectral indistinguishability are generated. We achieve a 4.8% heralding efficiency and a two-photon interference visibility of 97.1% from sinusoidal fringe fitting (raw visibility 95.2% and background-corrected visibility 95.6%), alongside a coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) exceeding 1000 at only 1.7 mW of pump power. These results represent one of the highest Franson-interference visibilities reported for a PIC-based analyzer within a compact, fiber-integrated platform.

quant-pharXiv:2603.26355•Mar 30, 2026•0 citations

Low-noise quantum frequency down-conversion of indistinguishable photons (Conference Presentation)

Benjamin Kambs, Jan Kettler, Matthias Bock +5 more

Single-photon sources based on quantum dots have been shown to exhibit almost ideal properties such as high brightness and purity in terms of clear anti-bunching as well as high two-photon interference visibilities of the emitted photons, making them promising candidates for different quantum information applications such as quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum teleportation. However, as most single-photon sources also quantum dots typically emit light at wavelengths of electronic transitions within the visible or the near infrared range. In order to establish quantum networks with remote building blocks, low-loss single photons at telecom wavelengths are preferable, though. Despite recent progress on emitters of telecom-photons, the most efficient single-photon sources still work at shorter wavelengths. On that matter, quantum frequency down-conversion, being a nonlinear optical process, has been used in recent years to alter the wavelength of single photons to the telecom wavelength range while conserving their nonclassical properties. Characteristics such as lifetime, first-order coherence, anti-bunching and entanglement have been shown to be conserved or even improved due to background suppression during the conversion process, while the conservation of indistinguishability was yet to be shown. Here we present our experimental results on quantum frequency down-conversion of single photons emitted by an InAs/GaAs quantum dot at 903.6 nm following a pulsed excitation of a p-shell exciton at 884 nm. The emitted fluorescence photons are mixed with a strong pump-field at 2155 nm inside a periodically poled lithium niobate ridge waveguide and converted to 1557 nm. Common issues of a large background due to Raman-scattered pump-light photons spectrally overlapping with the converted single photons could largely be avoided, as the pump-wavelength was chosen to be fairly longer than the target wavelength. Additional narrowband spectral filtering at the telecom regime as a result of the small conversion bandwidth and using a high-performance fiber-Bragg-grating solely left the detector dark counts as the only noise source in our setup. Therefore, we could achieve conversion efficiencies of more than 20 %. In order to test the indistinguishability, sequentially emitted photons were fed into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and spatially as well as temporally overlapped at the output beam splitter. Cross-correlation measurements between both output-ports of the beam splitter exhibit two-photon interference contrasts of more than 40 % prior to and after the down-conversion step. Accordingly, we demonstrate that the process of quantum frequency conversion preserves photon indistinguishability and can be used to establish a versatile source of indistinguishable single photons at the telecom C-Band. Furthermore our scheme allows for converting photons in a wavelength band from 900 nm to 910 nm to the same telecom target wavelength. This enables us to test indistinguishability of frequency-converted photons, originally stemming from different sources with dinstinguishable wavelengths.

•Aug 3, 2016•0 citations

Single Photon Mach Zehnder Interferometer on Lithium Niobate Substrate

Md Sakibul Islam

Mach Zehnder Interferometer is a corroboration of wave-particle duality property, hence matter waves for single photon can construct interference. To create this interference on a nonlinear ferromagnetic materials e.g. lithium niobate a beam splitter and a combiner is required. An applied voltage can control the interference. In this work, a photonic-integration application of mach zehnder interferometer is demonstrated. Lithium niobate crystal has been doped by titanium to make a better propagation of optical beam. Mathematical assumptions are proofed with software simulation for the interferometric device.

IEEE International Conference on Signal Processing, Information, Communication and Systems (SPICSCON)•Nov 1, 2019•1 citation

Two-photon interference in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

John Rarity, P. R. Tapster, Eric Jakeman +4 more

Pairs of 826.8-nm correlated photons, generated by parametrically down-converting 413.4-nm krypton-ion laser light, are directed into a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer such that each photon of the pair enters a different input port. The rate of coincidence at the two output ports displays oscillations (as the path-length difference is swept) with a spatial period equal to the 413-nm wavelength of the pump photons, and with a visibility of 62% when the path-length difference exceeds the coherence length of the individual photon beams. This unequivocally demonstrates the nonclassical and entangled nature of the two-photon state.

Physical Review Letters•Sep 1, 1990•325 citations

A Bi-Photon Quantum Interferometer for Complete Measurement of the Bi-Photon Wave Function

Roey Pomerantz, Yaakov Shaked, Avi Pe’er

We observe at record-high speed the nonclassical nature of ultra-broadband bi-photons, reducing the measurement time by four orders of magnitude compared to standard techniques of Hong-Ou-Mandel interference or sum-frequency generation. We measure the quantum state of the broadband bi-photons, amplitude and phase, with a pairwise Mach-Zehnder quantum interferometer, where bi-photons that are generated in one nonlinear crystal are enhanced (constructive interference) or diminished (destructive interference) in another crystal, depending on the bi-photon phase. We verify the quantum nature of the interference by observing the dependence of the fringe visibility on internal loss. Since destructive interference is equivalent to an attempt to annihilate in the second crystal (by up-conversion) the bi-photons that were created in the first crystal (by down-conversion), the fringe visibility is a measure for the quantum bi-photon purity of the broadband light. The measurement speed-up is due to the large homodyne-like gain from the strong pump ($\!\sim\!10^{7-9}$) in the up-conversion efficiency of single bi-photons, which enables the use of simple photo-detection of the full, ultra-high photon flux instead of single-photon / coincidence counting.

•Sep 19, 2012•0 citations
We demonstrate a first-order interference between coherent light at 1580 nm and 795 nm by using a frequency-domain Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The MZI is implemented by two frequency-domain BSs based on a second-order nonlinear optical effect in a periodically-poled lithium niobate waveguide with a strong pump light. The observed visibility is over 0.99 at 50% conversion efficiencies of the BSs. Toward photonic quantum information processing, sufficiently small background photon rate is necessary. From measurement results with a superconducting single photon detector (SSPD), we discuss the feasibility of the frequency-domain MZI in a quantum regime. Our estimation shows that the single photon interference with the visibility above 0.9 is feasible with practical settings.
Single photons and squeezed light are the two primary workhorses for quantum computation and quantum communication. Generating high-efficiency single photons with high purity and heralding efficiency is the prerequisite for photonic quantum computers. At the same time, generating high-efficiency scalable squeezed light is the prerequisite for continuous variable quantum computing along with sensing applications. Here, we propose a symmetric ring-Mach-Zehnder interferometer (RMZI), which includes a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide as an efficient source of squeezed light and a single-photon source. We numerically show that our proposed design can generate tunable squeezed light with a squeezing level higher than -12 dB with sub-milli-watt (mW) pump power. The proposed device can also generate single photons with purity as high as 99(95)% with heralding efficiency 94(99)% using only 20 ps long pulses. Our proposed design is fully compatible with current fabrication technology.
High-visibility Franson interference at telecom C-band wavelengths is achieved using a cascaded periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide photon-pair source combined with fully passive, path-imbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers implemented on photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The interferometers require neither on-chip phase shifters nor active stabilization; instead, the phase is scanned via thermal tuning of the chip. By employing a narrow-linewidth continuous-wave (CW) pump and dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) filtering, energy-time entangled photon pairs with high spectral indistinguishability are generated. We achieve a 4.8% heralding efficiency and a two-photon interference visibility of 97.1% from sinusoidal fringe fitting (raw visibility 95.2% and background-corrected visibility 95.6%), alongside a coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) exceeding 1000 at only 1.7 mW of pump power. These results represent one of the highest Franson-interference visibilities reported for a PIC-based analyzer within a compact, fiber-integrated platform.
Single-photon sources based on quantum dots have been shown to exhibit almost ideal properties such as high brightness and purity in terms of clear anti-bunching as well as high two-photon interference visibilities of the emitted photons, making them promising candidates for different quantum information applications such as quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum teleportation. However, as most single-photon sources also quantum dots typically emit light at wavelengths of electronic transitions within the visible or the near infrared range. In order to establish quantum networks with remote building blocks, low-loss single photons at telecom wavelengths are preferable, though. Despite recent progress on emitters of telecom-photons, the most efficient single-photon sources still work at shorter wavelengths. On that matter, quantum frequency down-conversion, being a nonlinear optical process, has been used in recent years to alter the wavelength of single photons to the telecom wavelength range while conserving their nonclassical properties. Characteristics such as lifetime, first-order coherence, anti-bunching and entanglement have been shown to be conserved or even improved due to background suppression during the conversion process, while the conservation of indistinguishability was yet to be shown. Here we present our experimental results on quantum frequency down-conversion of single photons emitted by an InAs/GaAs quantum dot at 903.6 nm following a pulsed excitation of a p-shell exciton at 884 nm. The emitted fluorescence photons are mixed with a strong pump-field at 2155 nm inside a periodically poled lithium niobate ridge waveguide and converted to 1557 nm. Common issues of a large background due to Raman-scattered pump-light photons spectrally overlapping with the converted single photons could largely be avoided, as the pump-wavelength was chosen to be fairly longer than the target wavelength. Additional narrowband spectral filtering at the telecom regime as a result of the small conversion bandwidth and using a high-performance fiber-Bragg-grating solely left the detector dark counts as the only noise source in our setup. Therefore, we could achieve conversion efficiencies of more than 20 %. In order to test the indistinguishability, sequentially emitted photons were fed into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and spatially as well as temporally overlapped at the output beam splitter. Cross-correlation measurements between both output-ports of the beam splitter exhibit two-photon interference contrasts of more than 40 % prior to and after the down-conversion step. Accordingly, we demonstrate that the process of quantum frequency conversion preserves photon indistinguishability and can be used to establish a versatile source of indistinguishable single photons at the telecom C-Band. Furthermore our scheme allows for converting photons in a wavelength band from 900 nm to 910 nm to the same telecom target wavelength. This enables us to test indistinguishability of frequency-converted photons, originally stemming from different sources with dinstinguishable wavelengths.
Mach Zehnder Interferometer is a corroboration of wave-particle duality property, hence matter waves for single photon can construct interference. To create this interference on a nonlinear ferromagnetic materials e.g. lithium niobate a beam splitter and a combiner is required. An applied voltage can control the interference. In this work, a photonic-integration application of mach zehnder interferometer is demonstrated. Lithium niobate crystal has been doped by titanium to make a better propagation of optical beam. Mathematical assumptions are proofed with software simulation for the interferometric device.
Pairs of 826.8-nm correlated photons, generated by parametrically down-converting 413.4-nm krypton-ion laser light, are directed into a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer such that each photon of the pair enters a different input port. The rate of coincidence at the two output ports displays oscillations (as the path-length difference is swept) with a spatial period equal to the 413-nm wavelength of the pump photons, and with a visibility of 62% when the path-length difference exceeds the coherence length of the individual photon beams. This unequivocally demonstrates the nonclassical and entangled nature of the two-photon state.
We observe at record-high speed the nonclassical nature of ultra-broadband bi-photons, reducing the measurement time by four orders of magnitude compared to standard techniques of Hong-Ou-Mandel interference or sum-frequency generation. We measure the quantum state of the broadband bi-photons, amplitude and phase, with a pairwise Mach-Zehnder quantum interferometer, where bi-photons that are generated in one nonlinear crystal are enhanced (constructive interference) or diminished (destructive interference) in another crystal, depending on the bi-photon phase. We verify the quantum nature of the interference by observing the dependence of the fringe visibility on internal loss. Since destructive interference is equivalent to an attempt to annihilate in the second crystal (by up-conversion) the bi-photons that were created in the first crystal (by down-conversion), the fringe visibility is a measure for the quantum bi-photon purity of the broadband light. The measurement speed-up is due to the large homodyne-like gain from the strong pump ( ⁣∼ ⁣107−9\!\sim\!10^{7-9}∼107−9) in the up-conversion efficiency of single bi-photons, which enables the use of simple photo-detection of the full, ultra-high photon flux instead of single-photon / coincidence counting.