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arXiv:2010.07678 · Optics Express

Spectral characterization of photon-pair sources via classical sum-frequency generation

Fumihiro Kaneda, Jo Oikawa, Masahiro Yabuno, Fumihiro China, Shigehito Miki, Hirotaka Terai, Yasuyoshi Mitsumori, Keiichi Edamatsu

Published Nov 30, 2020• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Tailoring spectral properties of photon pairs is of great importance for optical quantum information and measurement applications. High-resolution spectral measurement is a key technique for engineering spectral properties of photons, making them ideal for various quantum applications. Here we demonstrate spectral measurements and optimization of frequency-entangled photon pairs produced via spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC), utilizing frequency-resolved sum-frequency generation (SFG), the reverse process of SPDC. A joint phase-matching spectrum of a nonlinear crystal around 1580 nm is captured with a 40 pm resolution and a > 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio, which is significantly improved compared to traditional frequency-resolved coincidence measurements. Moreover, our scheme is applicable to collinear degenerate sources whose characterization is difficult with previously demonstrated stimulated difference frequency generation (DFG). We also illustrate that the observed phase-matching function is useful for finding an optimal pump spectrum to maximize the spectral indistinguishability of SPDC photons. We expect that our precise spectral characterization technique will be useful tool for characterizing and tailoring SPDC sources for a wide range of optical quantum applications.

DOI
10.1364/oe.412448

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Tailoring spectral properties of photon pairs is of great importance for optical quantum information and measurement applications. High-resolution spectral measurement is a key technique for engineering spectral properties of photons, making them ideal for various quantum applications. Here we demonstrate spectral measurements and optimization of frequency-entangled photon pairs produced via spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC), utilizing frequency-resolved sum-frequency generation (SFG), the reverse process of SPDC. A joint phase-matching spectrum of a nonlinear crystal around 1580 nm is captured with a 40 pm resolution and a > 40 dB signal-to-noise ratio, which is significantly improved compared to traditional frequency-resolved coincidence measurements. Moreover, our scheme is applicable to collinear degenerate sources whose characterization is difficult with previously demonstrated stimulated difference frequency generation (DFG). We also illustrate that the observed phase-matching function is useful for finding an optimal pump spectrum to maximize the spectral indistinguishability of SPDC photons. We expect that our precise spectral characterization technique will be useful tool for characterizing and tailoring SPDC sources for a wide range of optical quantum applications.
Direct spectral characterization of a quantum photon-pair source usually involves cumbersome, costly, and time-consuming detection issues. In this study, we experimentally characterize the spectral properties of a type-II phase-matched spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) source based on a titanium-diffused periodically poled lithium niobate (Ti:PPLN) waveguide. The characterization of the spectral information of the generated cross-polarized photon pairs is of importance for the use of such sources in applications including quantum information and communication. We demonstrate that the joint spectral intensity of the cross-polarized photon-pair source can be fully reconstructed using the quantum-classical correspondence through classical sum-frequency generation (SFG) measurements. This technique, which uses a much less complex detection system for visible light, opens the possibility of fast monitoring and control of the quantum state of (polarization-correlated) photon-pair sources to facilitate the realization of a stable and high-usability quantum source.
The frequency entangled photon pairs generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion process (SPDC) have been found the main resources in quantum clock synchronization protocols. The spectral indistinguishibility of the photon pairs is a key factor for the achievement of quantum clock synchronization. In this paper, we characterize both theoretically and experimentally the factors degrading the spectral indistinguishibility of the generated coincident-frequency entangled photon pairs under extended phase matching conditions. The results show that due to the nonnegligible second-order dispersion contribution to the phase mismatching, the broadening of the pulse pump bandwidth and the lengthening of the nonlinear crystal all lead to the degradation.
The frequency entangled biphoton source generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process has found important applications in the fields of quantum clock synchronization, quantum communication, quantum information processing, etc. As quantum technologies evolve, quantitative characterization of the frequency entanglement becomes necessary and has been implemented by measuring the spectral properties of the biphoton state. However, due to the high dark rate and low quantum efficiency of the InGaAs single-photon detectors, direct measurement of the spectral properties of the biphoton state at optical communication wavelength is hard to implement. In this paper, we report the measurement of the spectral properties of a biphoton state at optical communication wavelength which is generated from periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) pumped by an ultra-short pulsed optical source at 787 nm. Based on the coincidence measurement setup together with two infrared spectrometers, the spectra of the signal and idler photons are obtained with their center wavelengths being 1574.4 nm and 1574.9 nm, while their 3-dB bandwidths being 35.3 nm and 37.6 nm respectively. The joint spectrum of the photon pair is observed as well and shows a coincident-frequency entanglement and a joint spectrum bandwidth of 3 nm. According to the ratio of the single-photon spectral bandwidth to the joint spectral bandwidth of the photon pairs, the degree of frequency entanglement is quantified to be 12, denoting a relatively high quality of the entanglement.
Entangled photon sources with high spectral brightness are important resources for photonic quantum information processing, particularly in quantum communication and quantum networking where usable photon flux of entangled photons is often constrained by channel loss and source inefficiency. Here, we demonstrate a spectrally engineered type-0 spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) source with enhanced spectral brightness for entanglement distribution. By pumping a 30-mm ppKTP crystal with an ultra-narrowband laser slightly detuned from degeneracy, photon-pair generation is concentrated into a narrow spectral bandwidth while retaining the strong nonlinear interaction of type-0 phase matching. The source produces a coincidence rate of 44.6 kHz corresponding to a detected spectral brightness of 0.507 MHz/mW/nm. We further integrate the source into a Sagnac interferometer to generate polarization-entangled photon pairs and demonstrate entanglement distribution through a 2.56 km free-space round-trip channel. Our results show that spectral engineering provides a practical route to compact, spectrally bright entangled-photon sources for quantum communication applications.
Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is a reliable and robust source of photons for quantum information applications. For applications that involve operations such as entanglement swapping or single-photon heralding, two-photon states are required to be factorable (uncorrelated) in their spectral and spatial degrees of freedom. We report the design and experimental characterization of an SPDC source that has been optimized for high spectral and spatial purity. The source is pumped by the 776 nm output of a mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser and consists of a periodically-poled Potassium Titanyl Phosphate (PPKTP) crystal phase-matched for collinear type-II SPDC. The dispersive properties of PPKTP at these wavelengths is such that it is possible to minimize the spectral entanglement by matching the widths of the pump to the spectral phase-matching function. The spatial entanglement is minimized through careful control of the pump focus, yielding nearly single-mode emission. An advantage of this approach is that the emission rate into the collection modes is very high, resulting in a very bright SPDC source. We also report a scheme that employs the output of collinear sources such as these to produce polarization-entangled photon pairs. The scheme, which requires only simple polarization elements, can be scaled to N-photon GHZ states.