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arXiv:2504.08993 · Optics Express

Spectral compression of single-photon wave packets by sum-frequency conversion in slow-light waveguides

Michael G. Raymer

Published Aug 12, 2025• 1 citation
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Abstract

A slow-light scheme is proposed for simultaneous frequency conversion and spectral compression of a weak optical pulse, which may be in any quantum state including a single-photon state. Such a process plays crucial roles in schemes for constructing quantum networks. Assuming that appropriate slow-light waveguides can be fabricated, theoretical modeling shows that a 3-ps signal pulse can be converted by sum-frequency generation (SFG) into a pulse with duration in the ns regime with a corresponding spectral compression factor of the order of 1000 and a useful intrinsic efficiency up to 83%. With this design, deleterious spatial-temporal oscillations are suppressed because the continual delay of the SFG field suppresses back-conversion from SFG to the signal field. Independent of the input pulse shape (if it is short enough), the converted pulse will have a near-exponential rising shape, which is suitable for temporal-mode matching into an optical cavity.

DOI
10.1364/oe.562219

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A slow-light scheme is proposed for simultaneous frequency conversion and spectral compression of a weak optical pulse, which may be in any quantum state including a single-photon state. Such a process plays crucial roles in schemes for constructing quantum networks. Assuming that appropriate slow-light waveguides can be fabricated, theoretical modeling shows that a 3-ps signal pulse can be converted by sum-frequency generation (SFG) into a pulse with duration in the ns regime with a corresponding spectral compression factor of the order of 1000 and a useful intrinsic efficiency up to 83%. With this design, deleterious spatial-temporal oscillations are suppressed because the continual delay of the SFG field suppresses back-conversion from SFG to the signal field. Independent of the input pulse shape (if it is short enough), the converted pulse will have a near-exponential rising shape, which is suitable for temporal-mode matching into an optical cavity.
Single-photon frequency conversion for quantum interface plays an important role in quantum communications and networks, which is crucial for the realization of quantum memory, faithful entanglement swapping and quantum teleportation. In this talk, I will present our recent experiments about single-photon frequency conversion based on quadratic nonlinear processes. Firstly, we demonstrated spectrum compression of broadband single photons at the telecom wavelength to the near-visible window. A positively chirped single-photon-level laser pulse and a negatively chirped classical one are converted to a narrowband single-photon pulse, with a spectrum compression factor of 58, through sum-frequency generation (SFG), marking a critical step towards coherent photonic interface. Secondly, we demonstrated the nonlinear interaction between two chirped broadband single-photon-level coherent states. A high SFG efficiency of 1.06 × 10−7 is realized, which may be utilized to achieve heralding entanglement at a distance. Finally, we theoretically introduced and experimentally demonstrated single-photon frequency conversion in the telecom band, enabling switching of single photons between dense wavelength-division multiplexing channels. Using cascaded quasi-phase matched sum/difference frequency generation, the signal photon of a photon pair from spontaneous down-conversion is precisely shifted to identically match its counterpart, i.e. idler photon, in frequency to manifest a clear non-classical dip in the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. Moreover, quantum entanglement between the photon pair is maintained after the frequency conversion. Our researches have realized three significant quantum interfaces via single-photon frequency conversion, which hold great promise for the development of quantum communications and networks.
We experimentally demonstrate spectral broadening and shaping of exponentially-decaying nanosecond pulses via nonlinear mixing with a phase-modulated pump in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide. 1550 nm pump light is imprinted with a temporal phase and used to upconvert a weak 980 nm pulse to 600 nm while simultaneously broadening the spectrum to that of a Lorentzian pulse up to 10 times shorter. While the current experimental demonstration is for spectral shaping, we also provide a numerical study showing the feasibility of subsequent spectral phase correction to achieve temporal compression and reshaping of a 1 ns mono-exponentially decaying pulse to a 250 ps Lorentzian, which would constitute a complete spectrotemporal waveform shaping protocol. This method, which uses quantum frequency conversion in PPLN with >100:1 signal-to-noise ratio, is compatible with single photon states of light.
We introduce the concept of a quantum pulse gate (QPG), a method for accessing the intrinsic broadband spectral mode structure of ultrafast quantum states of light. This mode structure can now be harnessed for applications in quantum information processing. We propose an implementation in a PPLN waveguide, based on spectrally engineered sum frequency generation (SFG). It allows us to pick well-defined spectral broadband modes from an ultrafast multi-mode state for interconversion to a broadband mode at another frequency. By pulse-shaping the bright SFG pump beam, different orthogonal broadband modes can be addressed individually and extracted with high fidelity. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America
We experimentally demonstrate spectral broadening and shaping of exponentially-decaying nanosecond pulses via nonlinear mixing with a phase-modulated pump in a periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide. A strong, 1550 nm pulse is imprinted with a temporal phase and used to upconvert a weak 980 nm pulse to 600 nm while simultaneously broadening the spectrum to that of a Lorentzian pulse up to 10 times shorter. While the current experimental demonstration is for spectral shaping, we also provide a numerical study showing the feasibility of subsequent spectral phase correction to achieve temporal compression and re-shaping of a 1 ns mono-exponentially decaying pulse to a 250 ps Lorentzian, which would constitute a complete spectro-temporal waveform shaping protocol. This method, which uses quantum frequency conversion in PPLN with> 100: 1 signal-to-noise ratio, is compatible with single photon states of light. 1.
Single-photon wave packets can carry quantum information between nodes of a quantum network. An important general operation in photon-based quantum information systems is 'blind' reversal of a photon's temporal wave packet envelope, that is, the ability to reverse an envelope without knowing the temporal state of the photon. We present an all-optical means for doing so, using nonlinear-optical frequency conversion driven by a short pump pulse. The process used may be sum-frequency generation or four-wave Bragg scattering. This scheme allows for quantum operations such as a temporal-mode parity sorter. We also verify that the scheme works for arbitrary states (not only single-photon ones) of an unknown wave packet.
We demonstrate a quantum interface that simultaneously converts the wavelength, bandwidth, and duration of single-photon-level pulses, enabling compatibility between disparate quantum systems. Using difference frequency generation in a lithium niobate waveguide driven by a highly chirped pump, we transform pulses from 798 nm, 5 GHz, 150 ps (quantum dot-like) to 1300 nm, 35 GHz, < 25 ps (telecom standard). This nonlinear optical time lens achieves over 80% internal conversion efficiency and compresses output pulses below detector resolution. The device offers a compact solution for integrating quantum emitters, memories, and telecom networks, with potential for further pulse shape control.