Paolo L. Mennea, William R. Clements, Devin H. Smith, James C. Gates, Benjamin J. Metcalf, Rex H. S. Bannerman, Roel Burgwal, Jelmer J. Renema, W. Steven Kolthammer, Ian A. Walmsley, Peter G. R. Smith
We propose and demonstrate a modular architecture for reconfigurable on-chip linear-optical circuits. Each module contains 10 independent phase-controlled Mach-Zehnder interferometers; several such modules can be connected to each other to build large reconfigurable interferometers. With this architecture, large interferometers are easier to build and characterize than with traditional, bespoke, monolithic designs. We demonstrate our approach by fabricating three modules in the form of UV-written silica-on-silicon chips. We characterize these chips, connect them to each other, and implement a wide range of linear optical transformations. We envisage that this architecture will enable many future experiments in quantum optics.
We propose and demonstrate a modular architecture for reconfigurable on-chip linear-optical circuits. Each module contains 10 independent phase-controlled Mach-Zehnder interferometers; several such modules can be connected to each other to build large reconfigurable interferometers. With this architecture, large interferometers are easier to build and characterize than with traditional, bespoke, monolithic designs. We demonstrate our approach by fabricating three modules in the form of UV-written silica-on-silicon chips. We characterize these chips, connect them to each other, and implement a wide range of linear optical transformations. We envisage that this architecture will enable many future experiments in quantum optics.
For over a decade the field of quantum photonics has increasingly looked towards optical integrated platforms to perform more complex and sophisticated experiments. Silica integrated optics is an ideal material for this area, offering low propagation and fibre-coupling losses. To date many of the key on-chip experiments have been carried out in this platform, using bespoke monolithic devices. In this work we propose an alternative approach, implementing a linear network constructed from a number of identical reconfigurable modules. The modules are measured separately to produce an accurate model of the overall network. The cellular nature also allows the replacement of modules that are faulty or substandard. Each module comprises of an array of 10 Mach-Zhender interferometers. Forty thermo-optic phase shifters on each chip allows the control of both the amplitude and phase of the optical field within the devices. By cascading the modules any arbitrary NxN unitary network can be realised. The optical waveguides within the modules are fabricated by direct UV writing, where a scanning focused UV laser beam increases the local refractive index within a photosensitive germanosilicate glass layer. The resulting channel waveguides are engineered to have dimensions that are mode matched to standard optical fibre producing excellent coupling efficiency. Bragg gratings can also be simultaneously produced within the waveguides which greatly assists in the precise characterisation of the phase shifters, coupling ratios and optical losses within the modules. We will present our recent work in this area, demonstrating devices operating at telecom wavelengths for quantum information processing. We present a modular reconfigurable system for on-chip quantum optics experiments with excellent fibre compatibility and low propagation losses, implemented using direct-UV-written silica-on-silicon. The performance of fabricated devices in various configurations is reported.
Quantum integrated photonics requires large-scale linear optical circuitry, and for many applications, it is desirable to have a universally programmable circuit, able to implement an arbitrary unitary transformation on a number of modes. This has been achieved using the Reck scheme, consisting of a network of Mach–Zehnder interferometers containing a variable phase shifter in one path as well as an external phase shifter after each Mach–Zehnder. It subsequently became apparent that with symmetric Mach–Zehnders containing a phase shifter in both paths, the external phase shifters are redundant, resulting in a more compact circuit. The rectangular Clements scheme improves on the Reck scheme in terms of circuit depth, but it has been thought that an external phase-shifter was necessary after each Mach–Zehnder. Here, we show that the Clements scheme can be realized using symmetric Mach–Zehnders, requiring only a small number of external phase-shifters that do not contribute to the depth of the circuit. This will result in a significant saving in the length of these devices, allowing more complex circuits to fit onto a photonic chip, and reducing the propagation losses associated with these circuits. We also discuss how similar savings can be made to alternative schemes, which have robustness to imbalanced beam-splitters.
Quantum optics has successfully been used to test fundamental principles in quantum physics and to demonstrate the potential of quantum-enhanced technologies. Linear quantum optics, in which large quantum states of light are produced by optical interference of smaller quantum states, has proved to be particularly fruitful. Further progress will rely both on developing improved experimental tools to manipulate and measure quantum light, and on expanding and refining the range of applications of these technologies. This thesis presents our contributions towards both of these endeavours. We first focus on some of the components necessary for linear quantum optics, starting with the requirement for reconfigurable interference between several optical modes. We propose a novel design for interferometers that satisfy this requirement, which is based on a new mathematical decomposition of unitary matrices used to describe optical interference. We show that our design is more efficient than previously known designs. We also experimentally demonstrate a modular approach to building these devices, which is based on the assembly of multiple UV-written integrated photonic chips. These chips are characterised, and three of them are assembled into a structure shown to enable a wide range of optical transformations. We then study methods of photon detection, showing how photon detectors can be calibrated and discussing the operation of superconducting photon number resolving transition edge sensors. Next, we study two applications of linear optics. We examine the applicability of a proposal for simulating molecular spectroscopy using quantum optics in the presence of experimental imperfections. Our findings are illustrated with a proof of principle experiment in which we simulate part of the vibronic spectrum of the tropolone molecule. Finally, we study a class of optical devices, known as optical Ising machines, that has been shown to find solutions to difficult combinatorial problems. Describing the optical pulses in these devices in phase space as Gaussian quasi-probability distributions that evolve stochastically, we analyse the computational mechanism of these machines and show in theory that they can be simplified without affecting their performance.
Direct UV-written silica-on-silicon provides an attractive platform for quantum optics, offering the key benefits of low propagation losses and excellent optical fibre compatibility. This work has aimed to develop the necessary techniques and components for completely integrated quantum optics experiments to be carried out using this platform, on a larger scale than previously possible. Arrays of matched on-chip photon sources based on birefringence-matched spontaneous four-wave mixing (FWM) are demonstrated, both at 800 nm and in the telecommunications C-band, along with progress towards further integration of these sources. Thermo-optic phase shifters, for use in room temperature quantum circuits, have been optimised via modelling, and a range of alternative modulator technologies have been explored. Further work has been concerned with the development of a modular system for quantum optics, comprising a set of duplicate reconfigurable modules and the necessary drive electronics and software, with the intent of simplifying the task of identifying and quantifying manufacturing imperfections in large integrated experiments. Efforts have also been made to improve the detection efficiency of on-chip transition edge sensor (TES) single photon detectors, including the use of longer absorbers and high reflectors for multiple absorption passes; this has resulted in the demonstration of a photon-number-resolving detector with a Bragg grating enhanced quantum efficiency of 87%. Approaches for further increasing the detection efficiency are considered and a device for on-chip Hong-Ou-Mandel and photon subtraction experiments using these detectors is reported.
We present modular and optimal architectures for implementing arbitrary discrete unitary transformations on light. These architectures are based on systematically combining smaller M-mode linear optical interferometers together to implement a larger N-mode transformation. Thus this work enables the implementation of large linear optical transformations using smaller modules that act on the spatial or the internal degrees of freedom of light such as polarization, time or orbital angular momentum. The architectures lead to a rectangular gate structure, which is optimal in the sense that realizing arbitrary transformations on these architectures needs a minimal number of optical elements and minimal circuit depth. Moreover, the rectangular structure ensures that each the different optical modes incur balanced optical losses, so the architectures promise substantially enhanced process fidelities as compared to existing schemes.
Abstract We introduce procedures for decomposing N × N unitary matrices into smaller M × M unitary matrices. Our procedures enable designing modular and optimal architectures for implementing arbitrary discrete unitary transformations on light. Such architectures rely on systematically combining the M -mode linear optical interferometers together to implement a given N -mode transformation. Thus this work enables the implementation of large linear optical transformations using smaller modules that act on the spatial or the internal degrees of freedom of light such as polarization, time or orbital angular momentum. The architectures lead to a rectangular gate structure, which is optimal in the sense that realizing arbitrary transformations on these architectures needs a minimal number of optical elements and minimal circuit depth. Moreover, the rectangular structure ensures that each of the different optical modes incurs balanced optical losses, so the architectures promise substantially enhanced process fidelities as compared to existing schemes.