Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Frontiers in Optics

Generation of Photon Pairs in Green Fluorescent Protein

Siyuan Shi, Abu Thomas, Neil Corzo, Prem Kumar, Yu‐Ping Huang, Kim Fook Lee

Published Jan 1, 2014• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate generation of correlated photon pairs in naturally occurring Green Fluorescent Protein through the process of nondegenerate four-wave mixing. We obtain high purity photon pairs with a maximum coincidence to accidental ratio of ~70.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2014.fw1c.3

Related papers

Entanglement Generation in Green Fluorescent Proteins

Siyuan Shi, Prem Kumar, Kim Fook Lee

We demonstrate generating polarization-entangled state through spontaneous four-wave mixing in enhanced green fluorescent proteins. We report coincident-to-accidental ratio of ~145 and entangled state fidelity of ~94% for the generated photon pairs.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2018•0 citations

Broadband photon pair generation in green fluorescent proteins through spontaneous four-wave mixing

Siyuan Shi, Abu Thomas, Neil Corzo +3 more

Recent studies in quantum biology suggest that quantum mechanics help us to explore quantum processes in biological system. Here, we demonstrate generation of photon pairs through spontaneous four-wave mixing process in naturally occurring fluorescent proteins. We develop a general empirical method for analyzing the relative strength of nonlinear optical interaction processes in five different organic fluorophores. Our results indicate that the generation of photon pairs in green fluorescent proteins is subject to less background noises than in other fluorophores, leading to a coincidence-to-accidental ratio ~145. As such proteins can be genetically engineered and fused to many biological cells, our experiment enables a new platform for quantum information processing in a biological environment such as biomimetic quantum networks and quantum sensors.

Scientific Reports•Apr 14, 2016•7 citations

Biological Source of Correlated Photon Pairs

Abu Thomas, Si-Yuan Shi, Neil Corzo +3 more

Photon pairs sources based on nonlinear optical techniques are essential components in modern quantum optical systems. We present here a naturally occurring biological source of photon pairs—Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)—obtained by a non-degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM).

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations

Generation of High Purity Photon-Pair in a Short Highly Non-Linear Fiber

Yong Meng Sua, John E. Malowicki, Masaaki Hirano +1 more

Abstract : We generate photon pairs at telecom wavelength through a spontaneous four-wave mixing process in a short 10 m of highly nonlinear fiber. We use a counter propagating scheme to generate a correlated and entangled photon pair. We observe coincidence to accidental-coincidence ratio of 29 + or - 3 at room temperature (300 K) and as high as 130 + or - 5 when the fiber is cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperature (77 K). Two-photon interference with visibility 98% (92%) and the violation of Bell's inequality by 12 (approx. equal 5) standard deviation are observed at 77 K (300 K), respectively, without subtracting accidental-coincidence count. We obtain a photon-pair production rate about factor 3(2) higher than a 300 m dispersion-shifted fiber at 300 K (77 K).

•Jan 1, 2013•1 citation

Generation of photonic entanglement in green fluorescent proteins

Siyuan Shi, Prem Kumar, Kim Fook Lee

Recent development of spectroscopic techniques based on quantum states of light can precipitate many breakthroughs in observing and controlling light-matter interactions in biological materials on a fundamental quantum level. For this reason, the generation of entangled light in biologically produced fluorescent proteins would be promising because of their biocompatibility. Here we demonstrate the generation of polarization-entangled two-photon state through spontaneous four-wave mixing in enhanced green fluorescent proteins. The reconstructed density matrix indicates that the entangled state is subject to decoherence originating from two-photon absorption. However, the prepared state is less sensitive to environmental decoherence because of the protective β-barrel structure that encapsulates the fluorophore in the protein. We further explore the quantumness, including classical and quantum correlations, of the state in the decoherence environment. Our method for photonic entanglement generation may have potential for developing quantum spectroscopic techniques and quantum-enhanced measurements in biological materials.

Nature Communications•Nov 29, 2017•23 citations

Generation of quantum correlated photons in different spatial modes using few-mode fibers

Cheng Guo, Jie Su, Zhenzhen Zhang +2 more

We generate photon pairs at 1550 nm telecom through the intermodal four-wave mixing between LP01 and LP11 mode in a few-mode fiber. The ratio of coincidence to accidental coincidence rates is measured to be 28.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2018•0 citations
Recent studies in quantum biology suggest that quantum mechanics help us to explore quantum processes in biological system. Here, we demonstrate generation of photon pairs through spontaneous four-wave mixing process in naturally occurring fluorescent proteins. We develop a general empirical method for analyzing the relative strength of nonlinear optical interaction processes in five different organic fluorophores. Our results indicate that the generation of photon pairs in green fluorescent proteins is subject to less background noises than in other fluorophores, leading to a coincidence-to-accidental ratio ~145. As such proteins can be genetically engineered and fused to many biological cells, our experiment enables a new platform for quantum information processing in a biological environment such as biomimetic quantum networks and quantum sensors.
Abstract : We generate photon pairs at telecom wavelength through a spontaneous four-wave mixing process in a short 10 m of highly nonlinear fiber. We use a counter propagating scheme to generate a correlated and entangled photon pair. We observe coincidence to accidental-coincidence ratio of 29 + or - 3 at room temperature (300 K) and as high as 130 + or - 5 when the fiber is cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperature (77 K). Two-photon interference with visibility 98% (92%) and the violation of Bell's inequality by 12 (approx. equal 5) standard deviation are observed at 77 K (300 K), respectively, without subtracting accidental-coincidence count. We obtain a photon-pair production rate about factor 3(2) higher than a 300 m dispersion-shifted fiber at 300 K (77 K).
Recent development of spectroscopic techniques based on quantum states of light can precipitate many breakthroughs in observing and controlling light-matter interactions in biological materials on a fundamental quantum level. For this reason, the generation of entangled light in biologically produced fluorescent proteins would be promising because of their biocompatibility. Here we demonstrate the generation of polarization-entangled two-photon state through spontaneous four-wave mixing in enhanced green fluorescent proteins. The reconstructed density matrix indicates that the entangled state is subject to decoherence originating from two-photon absorption. However, the prepared state is less sensitive to environmental decoherence because of the protective β-barrel structure that encapsulates the fluorophore in the protein. We further explore the quantumness, including classical and quantum correlations, of the state in the decoherence environment. Our method for photonic entanglement generation may have potential for developing quantum spectroscopic techniques and quantum-enhanced measurements in biological materials.