Interference and coincidence detection of two photons emitted by two remote ions can lead to an entangled state, which is a critical resource for scalable quantum-information processing. Currently the success probabilities of experimental realizations of this protocol are mainly limited by low coupling efficiency of a photon emitted by an ion into a single-mode fiber. Here we consider two strategies to enhance the collection probability of a photon emitted from a trapped Yb
+ ion, using analytic methods that can be easily applied to other types of ions or neutral atoms. Our analysis shows that we can achieve fiber coupling efficiency of over 30
with an optical cavity made of a flat fiber tip and a spherical mirror. We also investigate ways to increase the fiber coupling efficiency using high-numerical-aperture optics, and show that collection probability of over 15
is possible with proper control of aberration.
Ion trap system is a leading candidate for quantum information science benefitting from its long coherence time, high-fidelity gate operations. In addition, the ion photon entanglement provides a versatile tool to realize quantum networks by generating an ideal pair of a stationary memory qubit and a flying communication qubit. Rapid developments in nonlinear quantum frequency conversion techniques have enhanced the potential for constructing a trapped ion quantum network via optical fiber connections. The generation of long-distance entanglement has been demonstrated with ions such as Ca+ and Ba+, which emit photons in visible or near-infrared range naturally. On the other hand, as the qubit-native photons reside in ultra-violet (UV) spectrum, the Yb+ ion has not been considered as a strong competitor for telecommunication qubits despite extensive research on it. Here, we demonstrate an efficient difference-frequency conversion of UV photons, emitted from a trapped Yb+ ion, into a visible range. We provide experimental evidence that confirms the converted photons are radiated from the Yb+ ion. Our results provide a crucial step toward realizing a long-distance trapped ion quantum network based on Yb+ ions through quantum frequency conversion.