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arXiv:2405.12777 · Science Advances

On-demand heralded MIR single-photon source using a cascaded quantum system

Jake Iles-Smith, Mark Kamper Svendsen, Ángel Rubio, Martijn Wubs, Nicolas Stenger

Published Mar 12, 2025• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We propose a mechanism for generating single photons in the mid-infrared (MIR) using a solid-state or molecular quantum emitter. The scheme uses cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects to selectively enhance a Frank-Condon transition, deterministically preparing a single Fock state of a polar phonon mode. By coupling the phonon mode to an antenna, the resulting excitation is then radiated to the far field as a single photon with a frequency matching the phonon mode. By combining macroscopic QED calculations with methods from open quantum system theory, we show that optimal parameters to generate these MIR photons occur for modest light-matter coupling strengths, which are achievable with state-of-the-art technologies. Combined, the cascaded system we propose provides a quasi-deterministic source of heralded single photons in a regime of the electromagnetic spectrum where this previously was not possible.

DOI
10.1126/sciadv.adr9239

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We propose a mechanism for generating single photons in the mid-infrared (MIR) using a solid-state or molecular quantum emitter. The scheme uses cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects to selectively enhance a Frank-Condon transition, deterministically preparing a single Fock state of a polar phonon mode. By coupling the phonon mode to an antenna, the resulting excitation is then radiated to the far field as a single photon with a frequency matching the phonon mode. By combining macroscopic QED calculations with methods from open quantum system theory, we show that optimal parameters to generate these MIR photons occur for modest light-matter coupling strengths, which are achievable with state-of-the-art technologies. Combined, the cascaded system we propose provides a quasi-deterministic source of heralded single photons in a regime of the electromagnetic spectrum where this previously was not possible.
Single photon emitters (SPEs) are promising building blocks for practical devices in quantum technologies. Traditionally, these systems are excited using off-resonant visible light through their phonon transitions, yet this process remains poorly understood. Here, we explore the interaction of mid-infrared (MIR) excitation on the properties of SPEs in hexagonal boron nitride. Notably, we present a reversible, non-destructive method to enhance emission from blue SPEs using MIR co-excitation. By resonantly driving defect-localized in-plane infrared-active optical phonon modes near 7.3 um, the MIR field modulates carrier dynamics through a phonon-assisted recombination. This unique feature, not observed previously for defects in solids, is a promising reservoir in a growing toolkit to modulate quantum emitters at room temperature for their use in practical quantum technologies.
Demands for single-photon sources are ubiquitous in quantum information processing as well as in quantum metrology. In many protocols for producing single photons, a cavity-emitter configuration is used. In such cavity quantum electrodynamical systems, the cavity can enforce a well-defined output mode for the photon and enhance its collection efficiency, while the emitter is indispensable for single photon emission. Here we show the two cavity-one two-level emitter configuration can be used to produce exclusively photon pairs, with each photon in a separate mode. Conditioning on detecting a photon in one of the modes, one heralds with high fidelity a single photon in the other mode. Counterintuitively, upon decreasing the coupling of the emitter to one of the modes, the heralding fidelity can further increase.
In the last years, the Mid Infrared (MIR) spectral region has attracted the attention of many areas of science and technology, opening the way to important applications, such as molecular imaging, remote sensing, free- space communication and environmental monitoring. However, the development of new sources of light, such as quantum cascade laser, was not followed by an adequate improvement in the MIR detection system, able to exceed the current challenges. Here we demonstrate the single-photon counting capability of a new detection system, based on efficient up-converter modules, by proving the correlated nature of twin photons pairs at about 3.1μm, opening the way to the extension of quantum optics experiments in the MIR.
Abstract Cavity quantum electrodynamics is widely used in many solid-state systems for improving quantum emitter performances or accessing specific physical regimes. For these purposes it is fundamental that the non-classical emitter, like a quantum dot or an NV center, matches the cavity mode, both spatially and spectrally. In the present work, we couple single photons stemming from In(Ga)As quantum dots into an open fiber-based Fabry–Pérot cavity. Such a system allows for reaching an optimal spatial and spectral matching for every present emitter and every optical transition, by precisely tuning the cavity geometry. In addition to that, the capability of deterministically and repeatedly locating a single quantum dot enables to compare the behavior of the quantum emitter inside the cavity with respect to before it is placed inside. The presented open-cavity system shows full flexibility by precisely tuning in resonance different QD transitions, namely excitons, biexcitons and trions. A measured Purcell enhancement of 4.4 ± 0.5 is obtained with a cavity finesse of about 140, while still demonstrating a single-photon source with vanishing multi-photon emission probability.
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We present a proposal for a tunable source of single photons operating in the terahertz (THz) regime. This scheme transforms incident visible photons into quantum THz radiation by driving a single polar quantum emitter with an optical laser, with its permanent dipole enabling dressed THz transitions enhanced by the resonant coupling to a cavity. This mechanism offers optical tunability of properties such as the frequency of the emission or its quantum statistics (ranging from antibunching to entangled multiphoton states) by modifying the intensity and frequency of the drive. We show that the implementation of this proposal is feasible with state-of-the-art photonics technology. Published by the American Physical Society 2024