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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

New results on single-photon upconversion

Aaron P. VanDevender, Paul G. Kwiat

Published Oct 19, 2004• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The process of up-conversion is shown to enable superior single-photon detectors in the infrared, compared to InGaAs and germanium Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) (normally used for IR single photon detection). After up-converting an infrared photon to a visible one in a non-linear crystal-Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN)-we use a silicon APD to efficiently detect the frequency up-shifted IR photon. We have demonstrated this process at the "high-intensity" level and at the single-photon level, where the up-converted state is effectively a superposition of the single photon Fock state and the vacuum state. We achieve an 80% conversion efficiency over the width of the pulse, and show that this process is coherent, a necessary ingredient for many applications.

DOI
10.1117/12.564880

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The process of up-conversion is shown to enable superior single-photon detectors in the infrared, compared to InGaAs and germanium Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) (normally used for IR single photon detection). After up-converting an infrared photon to a visible one in a non-linear crystal-Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN)-we use a silicon APD to efficiently detect the frequency up-shifted IR photon. We have demonstrated this process at the "high-intensity" level and at the single-photon level, where the up-converted state is effectively a superposition of the single photon Fock state and the vacuum state. We achieve an 80% conversion efficiency over the width of the pulse, and show that this process is coherent, a necessary ingredient for many applications.
We propose a method of single photon detection of infrared (IR) photons at potentially higher efficiencies and lower noise than allowed by traditional IR band avalanche photodiodes (APDs). By up-converting the photon from the IR, e.g. 1550 nm, to a visible wavelength in a nonlinear crystal, we can utilize the much higher efficiency of silicon APDs at these wavelengths. We have used a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal and a pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser to perform the up-conversion to a 631 nm photon. We observed conversion efficiencies as high as ∼ 80%, and demonstrated scaling down to the single photon level while maintaining a background of 3 ×s; 10−4 dark counts per count. We also propose a 2-crystal extension of this scheme, whereby orthogonal polarizations may be up-converted coherently, thus enabling complete quantum state transduction of arbitrary states.
We propose a method of single photon detection of infrared (IR) photons at potentially higher efficiencies and lower noise than allowed by traditional IR band avalanche photodiodes (APDs). By up-converting the photon from the IR, e.g. 1550 nm, to a visible wavelength in a nonlinear crystal, we can utilize the much higher efficiency of silicon APDs at these wavelengths. We have used a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal and a pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser to perform the up-conversion to a 631 nm photon. We observed conversion efficiencies as high as ∼ 80%, and demonstrated scaling down to the single photon level while maintaining a background of 3 ×s; 10−4 dark counts per count. We also propose a 2-crystal extension of this scheme, whereby orthogonal polarizations may be up-converted coherently, thus enabling complete quantum state transduction of arbitrary states.
We propose a method of single photon detection of infrared (IR) photons at potentially higher efficiencies and lower noise than allowed by traditional IR band Avalanche Photodiodes (APD). By up-converting the photon from IR, e.g., 1550 nm, to a visible wavelength in a nonlinear crystal, we can utilize the much higher efficiency of visible wavelength APDs. We have used a nonlinear crystal -- Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) -- and a pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser to perform the up-conversion to a 631-nm photon. When properly quasi-phase-matched, PPLN provides a large enough second order nonlinear susceptibility that near unit conversion efficiency of the IR photon into the visible should be possible. We have been able to observe peak conversion efficiencies as high as 80%, and have demonstrated scaling down to the single photon level while maintaining a background of 3 x 10-4 dark counts/count. Since the PPLN only acts on one polarization of the single photon, we also propose a 2-crystal extension of this scheme whereby orthogonal polarizations may be up-converted coherently, thereby enabling complete quantum state transduction.
We demonstrate the utility of frequency upconversion in a non-linear crystal for quantum information applications. By combining a bright “escort” beam with a signal photon inside of a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, we are able to achieve near unit conversion efficiency. We use this conversion process to create high-efficiency infrared single-photon detectors by upconverting infrared photons to visible ones and using efficient silicon avalanche photo diodes to detect the upconverted photon. We have achieved a net system detection efficiency of 56%, far superior to previous methods for infrared photon detection. We also demonstrate the phase coherence of the upconversion process, which enables it to convert photonic qubits from one wavelength to another, potentially allowing quantum networks of disparate operating wavelengths to communicate efficiently. This quantum “transduction” feature is observed by upconverting photons passed between two unbalanced Michelson interferometers that create and measure time-bin qubits, similar to those used in many quantum cryptography systems, and verifying that the phase of the qubits is preserved. The Rabi oscillation-like behavior of upconversion is also demonstrated, allowing for the creation and manipulation of highly non-degenerate frequency qubits. These states may be used in conjunction with other degrees of freedom such as polarization, time-bin, or orbital angular momentum states to enlarge the usable single-photon Hilbert space and create a rich vocabulary for transmission of quantum information.
We describe a method for efficiently and coherently converting photons from one wavelength to another through the process of nonlinear upconversion. By using an intense 1064 nm escort laser pulse and a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, we demonstrate upconversion efficiency of 99% and coherence of 95% for 1550 to 631 nm light at the single-photon level, thereby qualifying it for use in manipulation of photonic qubits. We then show how to create photons in arbitrary superpositions of different energy states, thereby enlarging the accessible Hilbert space for quantum information applications.
Single-photon frequency upconversion is an effective method of infrared single-photon detection and imaging by converting the long-wavelength photons to shorter wavelengths to match the detector’s spectral response. We realized few-photon level 2D infrared imaging with a coincidence frequency upconversion system in a bulk periodically poled lithium niobate crystal. Moreover, the infrared photons carrying orbital angular momentum were converted to the visible regime with high efficiency, while the orbital angular momentum of the photons was well conserved during the frequency upconversion process. The single-photon frequency upconversion method was also used for mid-infrared imaging at 3.39 µm with high efficiency and low noise.