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arXiv:2301.07258 · Research Directions Quantum Technologies

Multiplexed pseudo-deterministic photon source with asymmetric switching elements

Sebastian Brandhofer, Casey R. Myers, Simon J. Devitt, Ilia Polian

Published Jan 1, 2024• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract The reliable, deterministic production of trustworthy high-quality single photons is a critical component of discrete variable, optical quantum technology. For single-photon based fully error-corrected quantum computing systems, it is estimated that photon sources will be required to produce a reliable stream of photons at rates exceeding 1 GHz (Vigliar et al., 2021). Photon multiplexing, where low probability sources are combined with switching networks to route successful production events to an output, are a potential solution but requires extremely fast single-photon switching with ultra-low-loss rates. In this paper, we examine the specific properties of the switching elements and present a new design that exploits the general one-way properties of common switching elements such as thermal pads. By introducing multiple switches to a basic, temporal multiplexing device, we can use slow switching elements in a multiplexed source being pumped at much faster rates. We model this design under multiple error channels and show that anticipated performance is now limited by the intrinsic loss rate of the optical waveguides within integrated photonic chipsets. While the developed design does not achieve the necessary 1 GHz photon rate, we demonstrate design elements that could become useful when underlying technology improves.

DOI
10.1017/qut.2024.4

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Abstract The reliable, deterministic production of trustworthy high-quality single photons is a critical component of discrete variable, optical quantum technology. For single-photon based fully error-corrected quantum computing systems, it is estimated that photon sources will be required to produce a reliable stream of photons at rates exceeding 1 GHz (Vigliar et al., 2021). Photon multiplexing, where low probability sources are combined with switching networks to route successful production events to an output, are a potential solution but requires extremely fast single-photon switching with ultra-low-loss rates. In this paper, we examine the specific properties of the switching elements and present a new design that exploits the general one-way properties of common switching elements such as thermal pads. By introducing multiple switches to a basic, temporal multiplexing device, we can use slow switching elements in a multiplexed source being pumped at much faster rates. We model this design under multiple error channels and show that anticipated performance is now limited by the intrinsic loss rate of the optical waveguides within integrated photonic chipsets. While the developed design does not achieve the necessary 1 GHz photon rate, we demonstrate design elements that could become useful when underlying technology improves.
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Abstract Efficient generation of single photons is one of the key challenges of building photonic quantum technology, such as quantum computers and long-distance quantum networks. Photon source multiplexing—where successful pair generation is heralded by the detection of one of the photons, and its partner is routed to a single mode output—has long been known to offer a concrete solution, with output probability tending toward unity as loss is reduced. Here, we present a temporally multiplexed integrated single photon source based on a silicon waveguide and a low-loss fibre switch and loop architecture, which achieves enhancement of the single photon output probability of 4.5 ± 0.5, while retaining g (2)(0) = 0.01.
An on-demand single-photon source is a key requirement for scaling many optical quantum technologies. A promising approach to realize an on-demand single-photon source is to multiplex an array of heralded single-photon sources using an active optical switching network. However, the performance of multiplexed sources is degraded by photon loss in the optical components and the non-unit detection efficiency of the heralding detectors. We provide a theoretical description of a general multiplexed single-photon source with lossy components and derive expressions for the output probabilities of single-photon emission and multi-photon contamination. We apply these expressions to three specific multiplexing source architectures and consider their tradeoffs in design and performance. To assess the effect of lossy components on near- and long-term experimental goals, we simulate the multiplexed sources when used for many-photon state generation under various amounts of component loss. We find that with a multiplexed source composed of switches with ∼ 0.2 − 0.4 dB loss and high efficiency number-resolving detectors, a single-photon source capable of efficiently producing 20–40 photon states with low multi-photon contamination is possible, offering the possibility of unlocking new classes of experiments and technologies.
Abstract : An on-demand single-photon source is a key requirement for scaling many optical quantum technologies. A promising approach to realize an on-demand single-photon source is to multiplex an array of heralded single-photon sources using an active optical switching network. However, the performance of multiplexed sources is degraded by photon loss in the optical components and the non-unit detection efficiency of the heralding detectors. We provide a theoretical description of a general multiplexed single-photon source with lossy components and derive expressions for the output probabilities of single-photon emission and multi-photon contamination. We apply these expressions to three specific multiplexing source architectures and consider their tradeoffs in design and performance. To assess the effect of lossy components on near- and long-term experimental goals, we simulate the multiplexed sources when used for many-photon state generation under various amounts of component loss. We find that with a multiplexed source composed of switches with0.20.4 dB loss and high efficiency number-resolving detectors, a single-photon source capable of efficiently producing 2040 photon states with low multi-photon contamination is possible, offering the possibility of unlocking new classes of experiments and technologies.
Photonic qubits constitute a leading platform to disruptive quantum technologies due to their unique low-noise properties. The cost of the photonic approach is the non-deterministic nature of many of the processes, including single-photon generation, which arises from parametric sources and negligible interaction between photons. Active temporal multiplexing - repeating a generation process in time and rerouting to single modes using an optical switching network - is a promising approach to overcome this challenge and will likely be essential for large-scale applications with greatly reduced resource complexity and system sizes. Requirements include the precise synchronization of a system of low-loss switches, delay lines, fast photon detectors, and feed-forward. Here we demonstrate temporal multiplexing of 8 'bins' from a double-passed heralded photon source and observe an increase in the heralding and heralded photon rates. This system points the way to harnessing temporal multiplexing in quantum technologies, from single-photon sources to large-scale computation.
Abstract : Single photons sources are desired for many potential quantum information applications. One common method to produce single photons is based on a heralding protocol, which involves generating a pair of photons in an optical nonlinear medium and then detecting one photon in the pair to announce the existence of the other photon of the pair. Compared to other schemes, such a method offers several significant advantages. A major challenge to overcome which is inherent to this method, however, is that the photon pairs are created stochastically in the optical nonlinear medium. Thus, in order to ensure high purity levels for the single photons generated via heralding, sources of this type must be operated at low photon-pair production rates in order to keep the probability for simultaneous creation of multiple photon-pairs to an acceptably low level. A direct result of this restriction is a low heralding rate of single photons. A potential solution for achieving high-rate, high-purity, single-photon generation combines several heralding single-photon sources which are actively multiplexed to act as one source. The overall goal of this project is to develop methods to perform such multiplexing based on the use of a low loss high speed fiber optical switch.