Summary form only given. Correlated and entangled single photon states have made possible many fundamental studies in quantum optics such as the Bell-type test of hidden variables and non-locality, explorations of quantum interference properties, and investigations of quantum information processing and quantum communications technologies such as quantum cryptography, quantum computing, and quantum teleportation. These correlated single photon states are traditionally generated via a spontaneous parametric down-conversion process using a /spl chi//sup (2)/ material. We propose and analyze the generation of entangled single photons using /spl chi//sup (2)/ parametric processes in optical fibers. Such processes provide a simple and inexpensive correlated photon source readily compatible with commercial communications technologies. It further affords high efficiency for coupling into single mode fibers for applications in quantum cryptography.
Summary form only given. Correlated and entangled single photon states have made possible many fundamental studies in quantum optics such as the Bell-type test of hidden variables and non-locality, explorations of quantum interference properties, and investigations of quantum information processing and quantum communications technologies such as quantum cryptography, quantum computing, and quantum teleportation. These correlated single photon states are traditionally generated via a spontaneous parametric down-conversion process using a /spl chi//sup (2)/ material. We propose and analyze the generation of entangled single photons using /spl chi//sup (2)/ parametric processes in optical fibers. Such processes provide a simple and inexpensive correlated photon source readily compatible with commercial communications technologies. It further affords high efficiency for coupling into single mode fibers for applications in quantum cryptography.
Correlated photons have been used in quantum optics for the generation of squeezed light, demonstration of quantum interference effects, quantum cryptography, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiments and most recently, quantum teleportation. Usually, they are generated using χ (2) parametric processes to take advantage of large χ (2) nonlinearities and to wavelength separate the correlated photons from the pump photons. Here, we examine the generation of correlated photons using χ (3) parametric processes in optical fibres. We show that using such processes provides a simple and inexpensive correlated photon source readily compatible with communications technologies.
The field of quantum optics offers the intriguing possibility of developing new, potentially ground-breaking technologies based on the laws of quantum physics. Single quanta of light, called photons, are at the heart of many such quantum optical technologies. They can serve, for example, as information carriers in quantum cryptography and in quantum-information processing. If such applications are to fulfill their enormous potential, it is essential to have sources available that provide photons in the required quantum states. An established way of generating states of single photons is based on photon-pair sources. In this approach, the detection of one photon of a pair heralds the presence of the partner photon, which can then be further processed. However, to generate heralded photons in pure quantum states, specific conditions have to be met, making the design and implementation of such sources challenging. This thesis presents two new photon-pair sources that allow the heralded generation of single photons with high purity. Both sources are based on optical fiber, which allows high collection efficiencies for the generated states and opens the possibility of easy integration into modern-day fiber networks. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to quantum optical technologies and gives a short overview of current approaches to generate pure single photons. Chapter 2 presents the basic theory on which the experimental work presented in Chapters 3 and 4 is based. It explains the concept of a spectrally broad single photon and how photon purity can be tested using Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference. Subsequently, the properties of photon-pair states and the heralded generation of single photons from such states are discussed. It is shown that for a heralded photon to be pure, the original photon pair has to be in a factorable state, that is, free of any correlations. The introduced theory is then applied to spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in optical fibers, a nonlinear process that allows the generation of photon pairs. It is shown how the factorability of the created pairs depends on the fiber's dispersion properties, and the necessary conditions for the generation of factorable states are derived. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the photon statistics of the four-wave mixing process, explaining how statistics and the g(2) correlation function can be used to evaluate the factorability of the SFWM output state. Chapters 3 and 4 contain the main results of this thesis. Chapter 3 presents the first spectrally decorrelated photon-pair source bridging the visible and telecommunication wavelength ranges. The photon pairs are generated by SFWM in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The chapter documents the procedure of how the PCF source was designed and fabricated, as well as its characterization based on spectral measurements and photon statistics. One photon of the pair state is generated in the visible at 513.5 nm, where it can be efficiently detected with silicon-based single-photon detectors. It serves as a herald for its broadband partner photon, which is emitted in the telecom wavelength range at 1547 nm. A spectral coincidence measurement shows that the heralded photon exhibits a purity of up to 0.82. At increased pump powers, even the heralded generation of higher photon-number states in the telecom band becomes feasible. In Chapter 4, we use commercial birefringent fiber to herald high-purity photons of picosecond duration at 848 nm. The presented two-source HOM interference experiment shows that the heralded unfiltered state has a purity of at least 0.73. This value is increased to 0.84 with the application of wavelength filters suppressing low-intensity side peaks in the spectrum. The heralded photons are coupled into a single-mode fiber with an efficiency of 85%, the highest reported value to date for factorable sources. It is also shown that a commercial polarization controller can be used to fine-tune the generated wavelengths. This facilitates matching photons from multiple sources, as required for optical quantum computing schemes. Chapter 5 summarizes all results and provides an outlook toward potential future projects.
Quantum laws can be used to implement secure communication channels; this has been named quantum cryptography. In quantum cryptography the security does not depend of limited computational power, but is inherent to the laws that govern the propagation and detection of single and entangled photons. We show how single and entangled photon-pairs can be efficiently generated using four-wave mixing in optical fibers. We analyze the source statistics, degree of entanglement and impact of spontaneous Raman scattering. By coding information in the photons polarization we are able to transmit quantum information over 20 km of standard single mode fiber.
Summary form only given. The use of parametric down-conversion as a convenient source of correlated photon pairs dates back to the early 1970's but it Was not until the late 1980's and early 1990's that these Sources were shown to be useful for fundamental studies of the phenomenon of two particle entanglement. In recent experiments three photon interference effects have been studied by entangling initially separate photons which has led on to demonstration of quantum teleportation and three photon entangle via GHz states. Due to the necessity for overlapping weak beams of randomly timed photon pairs the triple coincidence rates in these experiments is low. Furthermore the three-photon interference effects are post-selected from a product state of two-photon entanglements which opens the experiments to criticism from a local realistic viewpoint. An improved source would create entangled states of three photons directly in a way analogous to two-photon downconversion. This work extends the quantum theory of spontaneous two-photon downconversion in the presence of a /spl chi//sup (2)/ non-linearity to the three photon case based on the nonlinear susceptibility /spl chi//sup (3)/. The resulting gain is much lower and the efficiency for the three-photon creation process is small. However we show by simple arguments that the number of modes scale quadratically with bandwidth. This leaves us with the hope of detecting of order one three photon per second when phase matching.
We report on the engineering, preparation, and utilization of polarization entangled-photon states in the telecommunications window of 1.5 µm for secure quantum key distribution. Traditionally, such sources have been based on the use of the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) when nonlinear crystal is pumped by a continuous wave (cw) or a pulsed laser. The pump photon disintegrates spontaneously giving birth to two twin photons that are strongly correlated in frequency, polarization and wave vector (direction of propagation). Photon entanglement results from the fact that the possible values of correlated parameters of twin photons are made indistinguishable from each other either at the generation or at the single-photon detection stage. This leads to non-classical interference effects.
For any communication, the conveyed information must be carried by some physical system. If this system is a quantum system rather than a classical one, its behavior will be governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. Hence, the properties of quantum mechanics, such as superpositions and entanglement, are accessible, opening up new possibilities for transferring information. The exploration of these possibilities constitutes the field of quantum communication. The key ingredient in quantum communication is the qubit, a bit that can be in any superposition of 0 and 1, and that is carried by a quantum state. One possible physical realization of these quantum states is to use single photons. Hence, to explore the possibilities of optical quantum communication, photonic quantum states must be generated, transmitted, characterized, and detected with high precision. This thesis begins with the first of these steps: the implementation of single-photon sources generating photonic qubits. The sources are based on photon-pair generation in nonlinear crystals, and designed to be compatible with fiber optical communication systems. To ensure such a compatibility and to create a high-quality source, a theoretical analysis is made, optimizing the coupling of the photons into optical fibers. Based on the theoretical analysis, a heralded single-photon source and a two-crystal source of entangled photons-pairs are experimentally implemented. The source of entangled photons is further developed into a compact source with a narrow bandwidth compatible with standard telecommunication wavelength-division multiplexers, and even further developed to a more stable one-crystal source. The sources are to be used for quantum communication in general and quantum cryptography in particular. Specifically, a heralded single-photon source is implemented and then used for a full test of a decoy-state quantum cryptography protocol.