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

Optics Express

High-brightness, low-noise, all-fiber photon pair source

Shellee D. Dyer, Burm Baek, Sae Woo Nam

Published Jun 4, 2009• 61 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate an all-fiber photon pair source for the critical telecom C-band. We achieve high pair generation rates in excess of 10 MHz while maintaining coincidence-to-accidental ratios (CARs) greater than 100. This is one of the brightest and lowest-noise photon pair sources ever demonstrated. We achieve the high pair rate through CW-pumped spontaneous four-wave mixing in dispersion-shifted fiber. We achieve the high CAR by cooling the fiber to 4 K to suppress the Raman generation and detecting the photons with low jitter and low dark count superconducting single-photon detectors.

DOI
10.1364/oe.17.010290

Related papers

High-efficiency, ultra low-noise all-fiber photon-pair source

Shellee D. Dyer, Martin J. Stevens, Burm Baek +1 more

We demonstrate an all-fiber photon-pair source with the highest coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) reported to date in the fiber-optic telecom C-band. We achieve this through careful optimization of pairproduction efficiency as well as careful characterization and minimization of all sources of background photons, including Raman generation in the nonlinear fiber, Raman generation in the single-mode fiber, and leakage of pump photons. We cool the nonlinear fiber to 4 K to eliminate most of the Raman scattering, and we reduce other noise photon counts through careful system design. This yields a CAR of 1300 at a pair generation rate of 2 kHz. This CAR is a factor of 12 higher than previously reported results in the C-band. Measured data agree well with theoretical predictions.

Optics Express•Jun 20, 2008•77 citations

All-fiber photon-pair source at telecom wavelengths

Erik Nicolai Christensen, Mario A. Usuga Castaneda, Karsten K. Rottwitt

Single photon sources are a key element for quantum computing, quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum communications. In particular, producing single photons at telecommunications wavelengths is valuable for QKD protocols and would enable realizing the quantum internet. The preferred method for their generation has long been spontaneous down conversion in bulk crystals, which suffers from connection loss to fiber networks. In-fiber spontaneous four-wave mixing provides a viable alternative as a photon pair source due to being compatible with existing fiber networks. We present an all-fiber photon pair source based on degenerate four-wave mixing in a 400 m Highly-Nonlinear fiber, with signal and idler wavelengths generated at 1552.5 nm and 1557 nm respectively. The source consists of CW pump laser operating at 1554.75 nm, which is slightly detuned from the zero group velocity dispersion wavelength into the normal dispersion regime. After pair generation in the highly-nonlinear fiber, three arrayed waveguide gratings are employed to spatially separate signal and idler, and provides a 120 dB pump power reduction. Firstly the source is modelled and experimentally characterized in the well known classical regime of stimulated four-wave mixing. The effect of fiber cooling on spontaneous Raman scattering is modelled and characterized, and a 30% reduction in spontaneous emission is found when cooling the fiber to -77°C. In the low power regime the coincidence to accidental count ratio is simulated and measured. An increase in the coincidence to accidental count ratio is observed when cooling the fiber.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Feb 20, 2017•0 citations

All-fiber photon-pair source for quantum communications: Improved generation of correlated photons

Xiaoying Li, Jun Chen, Paul L. Voss +2 more

We demonstrate greatly improved results for the production of correlated photon-pairs using the four-photon scattering process in silica fiber. We achieve a true-coincidence-count to accidental-coincidence-count ratio greater than 10, when the photon-pair production rate is about 0.04 /pulse. This represents a four-fold improvement over our previous results. The contribution of spontaneous Raman scattering, the primary cause of uncorrelated photons that degrades the fidelity of this source, is reduced by decreasing the wavelength detuning between the correlated photons and the pump photons and by using polarizers to remove the cross-polarized Raman-scattered photons. Excess Raman scattering could be further suppressed by cooling the silica fiber. Even without cooling the fiber, the achieved 10 to 1 ratio of true-coincidence to accidental-coincidence makes the fiber source of correlated photon-pairs a useful tool for realizing various quantum-communication protocols.

Optics Express•Jan 1, 2004•181 citations

1.5-µm band quantum-correlated photon pair generation in dispersion-shifted fiber: suppression of noise photons by cooling fiber

Hiroki Takesue, Kyo Inoue

Spontaneous four-wave mixing in a dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) is a promising approach for generating quantum-correlated photon pairs in the 1.5 microm band. However, it has been reported that noise photons generated by the spontaneous Raman scattering process degrade the quantum correlation of the generated photons. This paper describes the characteristics of quantum-correlated photon pair generation in a DSF cooled by liquid nitrogen. With this technique, the number of noise photons was sufficiently suppressed and the ratio of true coincidence to accidental coincidence was increased to ~30.

Optics Express•Jan 1, 2005•210 citations

Generation of high-purity entangled photon pair in a short highly nonlinear fiber

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

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 counterpropagating scheme to generate a correlated and entangled photon pair. We observe coincidence to accidental-coincidence ratio of 29±3 at room temperature (300 K) and as high as 130±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 (≈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).

Optics Letters•Dec 20, 2012•29 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
We demonstrate an all-fiber photon pair source for the critical telecom C-band. We achieve high pair generation rates in excess of 10 MHz while maintaining coincidence-to-accidental ratios (CARs) greater than 100. This is one of the brightest and lowest-noise photon pair sources ever demonstrated. We achieve the high pair rate through CW-pumped spontaneous four-wave mixing in dispersion-shifted fiber. We achieve the high CAR by cooling the fiber to 4 K to suppress the Raman generation and detecting the photons with low jitter and low dark count superconducting single-photon detectors.
We demonstrate an all-fiber photon-pair source with the highest coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) reported to date in the fiber-optic telecom C-band. We achieve this through careful optimization of pairproduction efficiency as well as careful characterization and minimization of all sources of background photons, including Raman generation in the nonlinear fiber, Raman generation in the single-mode fiber, and leakage of pump photons. We cool the nonlinear fiber to 4 K to eliminate most of the Raman scattering, and we reduce other noise photon counts through careful system design. This yields a CAR of 1300 at a pair generation rate of 2 kHz. This CAR is a factor of 12 higher than previously reported results in the C-band. Measured data agree well with theoretical predictions.
Single photon sources are a key element for quantum computing, quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum communications. In particular, producing single photons at telecommunications wavelengths is valuable for QKD protocols and would enable realizing the quantum internet. The preferred method for their generation has long been spontaneous down conversion in bulk crystals, which suffers from connection loss to fiber networks. In-fiber spontaneous four-wave mixing provides a viable alternative as a photon pair source due to being compatible with existing fiber networks. We present an all-fiber photon pair source based on degenerate four-wave mixing in a 400 m Highly-Nonlinear fiber, with signal and idler wavelengths generated at 1552.5 nm and 1557 nm respectively. The source consists of CW pump laser operating at 1554.75 nm, which is slightly detuned from the zero group velocity dispersion wavelength into the normal dispersion regime. After pair generation in the highly-nonlinear fiber, three arrayed waveguide gratings are employed to spatially separate signal and idler, and provides a 120 dB pump power reduction. Firstly the source is modelled and experimentally characterized in the well known classical regime of stimulated four-wave mixing. The effect of fiber cooling on spontaneous Raman scattering is modelled and characterized, and a 30% reduction in spontaneous emission is found when cooling the fiber to -77°C. In the low power regime the coincidence to accidental count ratio is simulated and measured. An increase in the coincidence to accidental count ratio is observed when cooling the fiber.
We demonstrate greatly improved results for the production of correlated photon-pairs using the four-photon scattering process in silica fiber. We achieve a true-coincidence-count to accidental-coincidence-count ratio greater than 10, when the photon-pair production rate is about 0.04 /pulse. This represents a four-fold improvement over our previous results. The contribution of spontaneous Raman scattering, the primary cause of uncorrelated photons that degrades the fidelity of this source, is reduced by decreasing the wavelength detuning between the correlated photons and the pump photons and by using polarizers to remove the cross-polarized Raman-scattered photons. Excess Raman scattering could be further suppressed by cooling the silica fiber. Even without cooling the fiber, the achieved 10 to 1 ratio of true-coincidence to accidental-coincidence makes the fiber source of correlated photon-pairs a useful tool for realizing various quantum-communication protocols.
Spontaneous four-wave mixing in a dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) is a promising approach for generating quantum-correlated photon pairs in the 1.5 microm band. However, it has been reported that noise photons generated by the spontaneous Raman scattering process degrade the quantum correlation of the generated photons. This paper describes the characteristics of quantum-correlated photon pair generation in a DSF cooled by liquid nitrogen. With this technique, the number of noise photons was sufficiently suppressed and the ratio of true coincidence to accidental coincidence was increased to ~30.
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 counterpropagating scheme to generate a correlated and entangled photon pair. We observe coincidence to accidental-coincidence ratio of 29±3 at room temperature (300 K) and as high as 130±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 (≈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).
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).