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arXiv:2503.19838 · Optics Express

Compact and stable source of polarization-entangled photon-pairs based on a folded linear displacement interferometer

Sarah E. McCarthy, Ali Anwar, Daniel K. L. Oi, Loyd J. McKnight

Published Aug 21, 2025• 1 citation
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Abstract

The realization of quantum networks requires the development of robust, low-size, weight, and power (SWaP) systems suitable for operation under harsh environments in remote and mobile nodes such as satellites. We present a source of polarization-entangled photon-pairs in a folded linear displacement interferometer based on spontaneous parametric down conversion using a Type-0 periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal. Featuring a compact and stable double-pass geometry using a corner-cube retroreflector, the source has a detected pair rate of 2.5 M pairs/s/mW with a Bell state fidelity of 94.1% ± 2.1%. The qualities and demonstrated performance of the source make it suitable for deployment in entanglement-based quantum networks.

DOI
10.1364/oe.563574

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The realization of quantum networks requires the development of robust, low-size, weight, and power (SWaP) systems suitable for operation under harsh environments in remote and mobile nodes such as satellites. We present a source of polarization-entangled photon-pairs in a folded linear displacement interferometer based on spontaneous parametric down conversion using a Type-0 periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal. Featuring a compact and stable double-pass geometry using a corner-cube retroreflector, the source has a detected pair rate of 2.5 M pairs/s/mW with a Bell state fidelity of 94.1% ± 2.1%. The qualities and demonstrated performance of the source make it suitable for deployment in entanglement-based quantum networks.
We experimentally demonstrate a source of polarization entangled photon-pairs based on a single periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal pumped with a broadband, free running laser diode. The crystal is placed within a linear beam-displacement interferometer and emits photon-pairs based on type-0 spontaneous parametric downconversion. We observe pair rates of 0.56 Mpairs/s/mW in a single spatial mode with a polarization visibility of 97.7% over a spectral range of 100 nm. This experiment demonstrates a pathway toward observing gigacount rates of polarization entangled photon pairs by using high-power free-running laser diodes with fast multiplexed detectors.
We demonstrate a compact, robust, and highly efficient source of polarization-entangled photons, based on linear bi-directional down-conversion in a novel ‘folded sandwich’ configuration. Bi-directionally pumping a single periodically poled KTiOPO4 (ppKTP) crystal with a 405-nm laser diode, we generate entangled photon pairs at the non-degenerate wavelengths 784 nm (signal) and 839 nm (idler), and achieve an unprecedented detection rate of 11.8 kcps for 10.4 μW of pump power (1.1 million pairs / mW), in a 2.9-nm bandwidth, while maintaining a very high two-photon entanglement quality, with a Bell-state fidelity of 99.3 ± 0.3%.
We demonstrate a compact, robust, and highly efficient source of polarization-entangled photons, based on linear bi-directional down-conversion in a novel 'folded sandwich' configuration. Bi-directionally pumping a single periodically poled KTiOPO(4) (ppKTP) crystal with a 405-nm laser diode, we generate entangled photon pairs at the non-degenerate wavelengths 784 nm (signal) and 839 nm (idler), and achieve an unprecedented detection rate of 11.8 kcps for 10.4 μW of pump power (1.1 million pairs / mW), in a 2.9-nm bandwidth, while maintaining a very high two-photon entanglement quality, with a Bell-state fidelity of 99.3 ± 0.3%.
We present two experiments geared toward the realization of a robust and intense source of polarization-entangled photons. First, we describe a novel source of polarization-entangled pairs that uses periodically-poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP) and an interferometer based on polarization beam displacers. The source emits an intense flux of high-quality single-mode entangled photons and is stable, robust, and easy to align. Second, we report on sources of correlated photons generated in PPKTP waveguides. Waveguide sources of correlated pairs have been shown to generate high fluxes of pairs: we theoretically and experimentally investigate spontaneous parametric down-conversion generation of photon pairs in waveguides at different wavelengths.
Abstract The generation of high‐fidelity entangled states is crucial for quantum technologies, including quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum metrology. Here, a polarization‐entangled photon‐pair source is demonstrated based on beam displacers and a type‐II periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal, employing a degenerate quasi‐phase‐matched spontaneous parametric down‐conversion process. The configuration features a fully linear architecture with a compact and robust design. Its performance is characterized by high‐visibility quantum interference fringes ( and ), high quantum state fidelity (), and significant violation of Bell inequality (). The system offers excellent stability, ease of alignment, and high integrability, making it suitable for operation in challenging and long‐term environments. In particular, quantum key distribution benefits from entangled photon sources with high fidelity to ensure secure and efficient information transmission.
We present a simple but highly efficient source of polarization-entangled photons based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in bulk periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystals (PPKTP) pumped by a 405 nm laser diode. Utilizing one of the highest available nonlinear coefficients in a non-degenerate, collinear type-0 phase-matching configuration, we generate polarization entanglement via the crossed-crystal scheme and detect 0.64 million photon pair events/s/mW, while maintaining an overlap fidelity with the ideal Bell state of 0.98 at a pump power of 0.025 mW.