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Revista Mexicana de Física

Tailored photon-pair sources based on inner-loop phasematching in fiber-based spontaneous four-wave mixing

Karina Garay-Palmett, Alfred B. U’Ren, R. Rangel-Rojo

Published Jan 1, 2011• 4 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We study the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in photonic crystal optical fibers. We show that it is possible to engineer two-photon states with specific spectral entanglement properties suitable for quantum information processing applica- tions. In this work, we concentrate on inner-loop phasematching, for which signal and idler photons can be generated at a small spectral separation from the pump, while sufficiently removed from the pump to ensure the absence of background photons produced by spontaneous Raman scattering. We present specific source designs which permit both symmetric and asymmetric factorable states, which allow herald- ing of pure-state, single-photon wavepackets without the need for spectral post-filtering. Additionally, we present numerical results for the conversion efficiency, where we compare sources based on inner- and outer-loop phasematching.

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We study the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in photonic crystal optical fibers. We show that it is possible to engineer two-photon states with specific spectral entanglement properties suitable for quantum information processing applica- tions. In this work, we concentrate on inner-loop phasematching, for which signal and idler photons can be generated at a small spectral separation from the pump, while sufficiently removed from the pump to ensure the absence of background photons produced by spontaneous Raman scattering. We present specific source designs which permit both symmetric and asymmetric factorable states, which allow herald- ing of pure-state, single-photon wavepackets without the need for spectral post-filtering. Additionally, we present numerical results for the conversion efficiency, where we compare sources based on inner- and outer-loop phasematching.
We present a theoretical study of the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four‐wave mixing (SFWM) in photonic crystal optical fiber. We show that it is possible to engineer two‐photon states with specific spectral entanglement properties suitable for quantum information processing applications. In this work, we concentrate on states exhibiting no spectral correlations in the two‐photon component of the state, which allow heralding of pure‐state, single‐photon wavepackets without the need for spectral post filtering. We present specific source designs which permit both symmetric and asymmetric factorable states, with signal and idler photons in the visible, and sufficiently removed from the pump to ensure suppression of background photons produced by spontaneous Raman scattering.
We study theoretically the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in photonic crystal optical fiber. We show that it is possible to engineer two-photon states with specific spectral correlation ("entanglement") properties suitable for quantum information processing applications. We focus on the case exhibiting no spectral correlations in the two-photon component of the state, which we call factorability, and which allows heralding of single-photon pure-state wave packets without the need for spectral post filtering. We show that spontaneous four wave mixing exhibits a remarkable flexibility, permitting a wider class of two-photon states, including ultra-broadband, highly-anticorrelated states.
We present a study of the spectral properties of photon pairs generated through the process of spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in single mode fiber. Our analysis assumes narrowband pumps, which are allowed to be frequency degenerate or nondegenerate. Based on this analysis, we derive conditions on the pump frequencies and on the fiber dispersion parameters which guarantee the generation of ultrabroadband photon pairs. Such photon pairs are characterized by (i) a very large degree of entanglement, and (ii) a very high degree of temporal synchronization between the signal and idler photons. Through a numerical exercise, we find that the use of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) facilitates the fulfilment of the conditions for ultrabroadband photon pair generation; in particular, the spectral region in which emission occurs can be adjusted to particular needs through an appropriate choice of the PCF parameters. In addition, we present a quantum interference effect, resulting from indistinguishable pathways to the same outcome, which can occur when pumping a SFWM source with multiple spectral lines.
We study both experimentally and theoretically the generation of photon pairs by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in standard birefringent optical fibers. The ability to produce a range of two-photon spectral states, from highly correlated (entangled) to completely factorable, by means of cross-polarized birefringent phase matching, is explored. A simple model is developed to predict the spectral state of the photon pair which shows how this can be adjusted by choosing the appropriate pump bandwidth, fiber length and birefringence. Spontaneous Raman scattering is modeled to determine the tradeoff between SFWM and background Raman noise, and the predicted results are shown to agree with experimental data.
We study theoretically the joint spectral properties of photon-pairs produced through spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) with two spectrally distinct pump pulses in optical fibers. We show that, due to the group velocity difference between the pulses, the signature of the interaction can be significantly different from spontaneous parametric down-conversion or SFWM with a single pump pulse. Specifically, we study the case where temporal walk-off between the pumps enables a gradual turn-on and turn-off of the interaction. By utilizing this property, we develop a new approach towards tailoring the spectral correlations within the generated photon pairs, demonstrating the ability to produce factorable photon-pair states, and hence heralded single photons in a pure wave-packet. We show that the use of two pumps is advantageous over single-pump SFWM approaches towards this goal: the usage of the dual-pump configuration enables, in principle, the creation of completely factorable states without any spectral filtering, even in media for which single-pump SFWM tailoring techniques are unsatisfactory, such as standard polarization-maintaining fiber.
We present a comprehensive numerical investigation of entangled photon pair generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs). By analyzing various fiber geometries, dispersion profiles, and anti-resonant characteristics, we identify optimal configurations that enhance photon-pair generation efficiency. Our study highlights the crucial roles of group velocity dispersion engineering, pump parameters, and phase-matching conditions in shaping the joint spectral amplitude (JSA) of the emitted photons. Utilizing gas-filled or evacuated HC-PCFs significantly reduces Raman noise by minimizing field overlap with the glass, while maintaining strong nonlinear interactions. The results reveal practical regimes for improving spectral purity and heralding efficiency. These findings provide practical design guidelines for scalable, low-noise quantum light sources suitable for quantum communication technologies. We bridge fiber design and nonlinear optics to create a predictive model and practical design charts for application-specific quantum light sources.