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arXiv:2512.02980

Tunable polarization-entangled near-infrared photons from orthogonal GaAs nanowires

Elise Bailly-Rioufreyt, Zoya Polshchykova, Grégoire Saerens, Wenhe Jia, Thomas Dursap, Andreas Maeder, Philippe Regreny, Robert J. Chapman, Helena Weigand, Alexandre Danescu, Nicolas Chauvin, José Penuelas, Rachel Grange

physics.opticsquant-phSubmitted Dec 2, 2025• Announced Dec 3, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for emerging quantum technologies, enabling secure communication and enhanced sensing. For decades, generating polarization entangled states has been mainly achieved using bulk crystals with spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), preventing scalability and on-chip integration. Miniaturizing the quantum source provides access to more versatility and tunability while enabling an easier integration to other devices, notably necessary for satellite-based quantum communication, and eventually reducing fabrication costs. This challenging task can be achieved with Zinc Blende GaAs nanowires. They already have shown an efficient photon pairs generation via SPDC at 1550 nm. Here we demonstrate that a pair of orthogonal GaAs nanowires constitutes a new nanoscale platform to control the quantum state at telecommunication wavelength, enabling a transition from polarization entangled to separable states as a function of the pump polarization, with fidelities reaching 90%

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Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for emerging quantum technologies, enabling secure communication and enhanced sensing. For decades, generating polarization entangled states has been mainly achieved using bulk crystals with spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC), preventing scalability and on-chip integration. Miniaturizing the quantum source provides access to more versatility and tunability while enabling an easier integration to other devices, notably necessary for satellite-based quantum communication, and eventually reducing fabrication costs. This challenging task can be achieved with Zinc Blende GaAs nanowires. They already have shown an efficient photon pairs generation via SPDC at 1550 nm. Here we demonstrate that a pair of orthogonal GaAs nanowires constitutes a new nanoscale platform to control the quantum state at telecommunication wavelength, enabling a transition from polarization entangled to separable states as a function of the pump polarization, with fidelities reaching 90%
Quantum-enhanced optical technologies operating within the 2- to 2.5-μm spectral region have the potential to revolutionize emerging applications in communications, sensing, and metrology. Currently, sources of entangled photons are available at visible, near-infrared and telecom wavelengths but are strongly underdeveloped at longer wavelengths. Here, using custom-designed lithium niobate crystals for spontaneous parametric down-conversion and tailored superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, we demonstrate two-photon interference and polarization-entangled photon pairs at 2090 nm. These results open the 2- to 2.5-μm mid-infrared window for the development of optical quantum technologies such as quantum key distribution in next-generation mid-infrared fiber communication systems and future Earth-to-satellite communications.
Quantum-enhanced optical systems operating within the 2-2.5 µm spectral region have the potential to revolutionize emerging applications in communications, sensing and metrology. However, until now, sources of entangled photons have been realized mainly in the near-infrared 700-1550 nm spectral window. Above 2 µm lies an atmospheric transparency window with nearly one-third of the solar blackbody radiation as what is typical at telecom wavelengths. There is, therefore, a growing interest to deliver sources and detectors operating in this wavelength range for free-space optical communications and in emerging fields of high-sensitivity metrology, specifically, gravitational wave detection [1,2]. Here, using a 130 fs pulsed laser at wavelength 1.05 μm to pump custom-designed non-linear crystals for spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process and tailored superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD), we demonstrate for the first-time two-photon quantum interference and polarization entanglement in the mid-infrared, at ≃ 2.1 μm.
Tunable photonic quantum entanglement promises to advance information processing beyond classical approaches, facilitating applications in quantum communications, imaging and computing. A practical approach to preparing quantum entanglement at room temperature is to engineer photon-pair generation through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). Nonlinear flat-optics devices, incorporating subwavelength-thick nonlinear materials, are emerging as new platforms for generating photon pairs at the nanoscale. In particular, nanostructured metasurfaces supporting optical resonances can enhance and tailor SPDC processes, allowing for the generation of spectral, polarization, and spatial entanglement [1]. However, the tunability of polarization entanglement is subject to the symmetry of nonlinear tensors of materials, where the pump photon polarization serves as the only tuning parameter [2].
Quantum-enhanced optical systems operating within the 2- to 2.5-μm spectral region have the potential to revolutionize emerging applications in communications, sensing, and metrology. However, to date, sources of entangled photons have been realized mainly in the near-infrared 700- to 1550-nm spectral window. Here, using custom-designed lithium niobate crystals for spontaneous parametric down-conversion and tailored superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, we demonstrate two-photon interference and polarization-entangled photon pairs at 2090 nm. These results open the 2- to 2.5-μm mid-infrared window for the development of optical quantum technologies such as quantum key distribution in next-generation mid-infrared fiber communication systems and future Earth-to-satellite communications.
Entangled photon-pair sources are pivotal in various quantum applications. Miniaturizing the quantum devices to meet the requirement in limited space applications drives the search for ultracompact entangled photon-pair sources. The rise of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors has been demonstrated as ultracompact entangled photon-pair sources. However, the photon-pair generation rate and purity are relatively low, and the strong photoluminescence in 2D semiconductors also makes the operational wavelength range limited. Here, we use the spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) of rhombohedral boron nitride (rBN) as a polarization entangled photon-pair source. We have achieved a generation rate of more than 120 hertz (a record-high SPDC coincidence rate with 2D materials) and a high-purity photon-pair generation with a coincidence-to-accidental ratio of above 200. Tunable Bell state generation is also demonstrated by simply rotating the pump polarization, with a fidelity up to 0.93. Our results suggest rBN as an ideal candidate for on-chip integrated quantum devices.