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arXiv:1904.01556 · Journal of Physics Communications

Telecom photon interface of solid-state quantum nodes

Changhao Li, Paola Cappellaro

Published Sep 1, 2019• 8 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Solid-state spins such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center are promising platforms for large-scale quantum networks. Despite the optical interface of NV center system, however, the significant attenuation of its zero-phonon-line photon in optical fiber prevents the network extended to long distances. Therefore a telecom-wavelength photon interface would be essential to reduce the photon loss in transporting quantum information. Here we propose an efficient scheme for coupling telecom photon to NV center ensembles mediated by rare-earth doped crystal. Specifically, we proposed protocols for high fidelity quantum state transfer and entanglement generation with parameters within reach of current technologies. Such an interface would bring new insights into future implementations of long-range quantum network with NV centers in diamond acting as quantum nodes.

DOI
10.1088/2399-6528/ab4430

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Abstract Solid-state spins such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center are promising platforms for large-scale quantum networks. Despite the optical interface of NV center system, however, the significant attenuation of its zero-phonon-line photon in optical fiber prevents the network extended to long distances. Therefore a telecom-wavelength photon interface would be essential to reduce the photon loss in transporting quantum information. Here we propose an efficient scheme for coupling telecom photon to NV center ensembles mediated by rare-earth doped crystal. Specifically, we proposed protocols for high fidelity quantum state transfer and entanglement generation with parameters within reach of current technologies. Such an interface would bring new insights into future implementations of long-range quantum network with NV centers in diamond acting as quantum nodes.
As a kind of hybrid spin system, nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have shown great advantages in implementing quantum registers for quantum information processing (QIP). When scaling up quantum registers to quantum networks for long-distance quantum communication and distributed quantum computation, determining how to entangle two registers in distant nodes is a basic challenge in the absence of direct interactions. In this paper, we present a scheme for entangling two distant NV centers based on the special optical absorption and emission of NV centers. In this demonstration, we transfer the entanglement information of a pair of photons to nuclear spins in NV centers and create remote NV–NV entanglement mediated by entangled photons. We then explain how to extract the entangled information from NV centers to prepare on-demand entangled photons for optical quantum information processing. The strategy of entanglement transfer between spins and photons demonstrated herein may pave the way for an NV-center-based quantum network.
Abstract The realization of a long-distance, distributed quantum network based on quantum memory nodes that are linked by photonic channels remains an outstanding challenge. We propose a quantum network node based on neutral alkali atoms coupled to nanophotonic crystal cavities that combines a long-lived memory qubit with a photonic interface at the telecom range, thereby enabling the long-distance distribution of entanglement over low loss optical fibers. We present a novel protocol for the generation of an atom–photon entangled state which uses telecom transitions between excited states of the alkali atoms. We analyze the realistic implementation of this protocol using rubidium and cesium atoms taking into account the full atomic level structure and properties of the nanophotonic crystal cavity. We find that a high fidelity entangled state can be generated with current technologies.
Signal photons emitted by quantum nodes typically fall outside the low-loss telecom window of optical fibers, leading to severe transmission losses. Quantum frequency conversion (QFC) offers an effective optical interface that bridges quantum nodes with telecom-band channels, enabling long-distance quantum communication. In this work, we demonstrate a compact, fiber-integrated QFC system with low noise and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Using a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide, input photons at 637.2 nm are down-converted to telecom photons at 1588.3 nm. Our system achieves a total conversion efficiency of approximately 9%, with pump-induced noise suppressed to 154 Hz. For input photon rates of 32.7, 118.0, and 327.7 kHz, the corresponding SNRs are 12.3, 43.9, and 117.8, respectively. We further develop a theoretical model to simulate the entanglement fidelity between nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins and the frequency-converted telecom photons. At the emission rate of an NV center, our QFC system maintains an expected fidelity exceeding 52% over a transmission distance of 100 km. These findings highlight the potential of our QFC system for scalable, long-distance quantum networking.
An efficient spin–photon interface plays a significant role in building quantum network and distributed quantum computing with solid-state spin system, e.g., nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Solid-state spin system has the advantages of excellent portability and long coherence time, however, it suffers from a critical drawback of low efficiency of spontaneously emitted photons in the zero phonon line. This poses a severe challenge for the generation of an efficient interface between solid-state spin and photon. Here, we propose a method to establish a coherent interface between photon and solid-state spin system which is coupled to a trapped ion via a quantum transducer. Our method provides a new route to establish an efficient spin–photon interface allowing the generation of entanglement between distant spins.
A quantumnetwork would allow the distribution of a quantum state over many spatially separated quantum nodes which individually possess the ability to generate, process and store quantum information. Connecting these nodes through quantum communication channels would enable sending quantum information over arbitrarily long distances, secret key distribution with guaranteed secure communication and distributed quantum computing. An appealing platform for implementation of quantum networks is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. An NV center is an optically active defect in diamond created by the substitution of two adjacent carbon atoms in the diamond crystal matrix by a nitrogen atom and a neighboring vacancy. The NV center fits remarkably well in the described quantum network framework. Its electronic spin can be optically initialized, read out in a single shot, coherently manipulated and coupled to the nearby carbon-13 nuclear spins. These properties represent necessary ingredients of a multi-qubit quantum node. The possibility of the entanglement between the state of the NV center spin and a photon establishes a photonic quantum link which can enable the entanglement of the quantum nodes, forming a quantum network. First building blocks of the proposed quantum networks based on NV centers were demonstrated by performing entanglement between two distant NV centers separated by more than a kilometer. However, the current success rate of the entangling protocols is greatly reduced due to the low emission probability of the NV center photons into the resonant zero phonon line (ZPL) and the inefficient photon extraction from the diamond. This is the central problem which prevents promoting our experiments beyond proof-of-principle demonstration towards practical implementation of the proposed quantumnetworks. The goal of this thesis is tackling these issues by coupling NV centers to optical cavities which would greatly increase the rate of generation and collection of the ZPL photons through themechanism of Purcell enhancement. The design and the fabrication of the components constituting a diamond-basedFabry-Perot microcavity, as used in this thesis, are described in Chapter 4. For large enhancement of the NV center resonant emission, a low cavity mode volume is necessary. This is achieved by inserting a micrometers thin diamond slab into the cavity architecture; we present the fabrication details of such samples. Chapter 5 describes the fabrication of an integrated platform for microwave signal delivery to the NV centers within a diamond membrane in the cavity architecture. Microwave striplines and arrays of unique markers are embedded in the mirror onto which the diamond is bonded. We investigate the mirror optical properties post fabrication and find that the fabrication method preserves the mirror optical performance. We describe the diamond bonding method and demonstrate addressing of the NV center spin. In Chapter 6 we probe the properties of the cavity with the embedded diamond membrane through measurements of the cavity finesse. We investigate the cavity finesse dependence on length, mode structure and temperature. We further explore the operation at cryogenic temperatures by probing the effect of cryostation vibration on the cavity linewidth. Finally, in Chapter 7 we discuss ways of improving the existing experimental capabilities, outline the first steps for demonstrating enhancement of the NV center resonant emission and suggest future experiments that can be performed with this system. We conclude that coupling of the NV centers to the cavities developed in this research could lead to an increase of remote entanglement success rates by more than three orders of magnitude.
Candidate platforms in the global endeavour to build long distance quantum networks need to satisfy a variety of properties to act as a network node. These include - interfacing between stationary spins and photonic flying qubits, long quantum memory times, indistinguishable photons and a large photon flux. Cavities operating in the weak coupling regime offer the advantages that the spontaneous emission rate of the emitter is enhanced while the loss rate from the cavity is also high. With optimized output couplers, this results in an increased photon extraction efficiency and the proportion of coherent photons is also improved. Cavity-coupled Nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond (NV) fulfill most of these criteria with one weakness remaining - sensitivity to electronic noise [1]–[3].