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Chinese Physics B

Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with two independent weak coherent states

Hua Chen, Xue-Bi An, Juan Wu, Zhen−Qiang Yin, Shuang Wang, Wei Chen, Zhen-Fu Han

Published Feb 1, 2016• 18 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Recently, the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interference between two independent weak coherent pulses (WCPs) has been paid much attention due to the measurement-device-independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD). Using classical wave theory, articles reported before show that the visibility of this kind of HOM-type interference is ≤ 50%. In this work, we analyze this kind of interference using quantum optics, which reveals more details compared to the wave theory. Analyses confirm the maximum visibility of 50%. And we conclude that the maximum visibility of 50% comes from the two single-photon states in WCPs, without considering the noise. In the experiment, we successfully approach the visibility of 50% by using WCPs splitting from the single pico-second laser source and phase scanning. Since this kind of HOM interference is immune to slow phase fluctuations, both the realized and proposed experiment designs can provide stable ways of high-resolution optical distance detection.

DOI
10.1088/1674-1056/25/2/020305

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Recently, the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interference between two independent weak coherent pulses (WCPs) has been paid much attention due to the measurement-device-independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD). Using classical wave theory, articles reported before show that the visibility of this kind of HOM-type interference is ≤ 50%. In this work, we analyze this kind of interference using quantum optics, which reveals more details compared to the wave theory. Analyses confirm the maximum visibility of 50%. And we conclude that the maximum visibility of 50% comes from the two single-photon states in WCPs, without considering the noise. In the experiment, we successfully approach the visibility of 50% by using WCPs splitting from the single pico-second laser source and phase scanning. Since this kind of HOM interference is immune to slow phase fluctuations, both the realized and proposed experiment designs can provide stable ways of high-resolution optical distance detection.
Due to the simplicity of Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer setup, it becomes very important in various quantum-based applications, especially when the photon indistinguishability is required such as measurement device independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD). In the present work, the HOM experiment setup is designed to study the quantum interference between two indistinguishable photons (frequency, time of arrival and polarization should be same for both photons) coming from two independent laser sources (attenuated laser). The aim is to achieve high visibility as it indicates the photon indistinguishability from two independent sources. Theoretically, the visibility is 50%50 \%50% for indistinguishable photons from attenuated laser sources but in the experiment, due to various devices imperfections and other factors it is less than 50%. The HOM visibility achieved from our setup is 40%40 \%40% tested for a distance of 20 km over standard single mode fiber (SMF). The main point to be noticed in this work is that, this experiment is performed using single photon avalanche diode.
Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference is one of the most important experimental phenomena in quantum optics. It has drawn considerable attention with respect to quantum cryptography and quantum communication because of the advent of the measurement device independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol. Here, we realize HOM interference, having a visibility of approximately 38.1%, using two independent heralded single-photon sources (HSPSs). The HOM interference between two independent HSPSs is a core technology for realizing the long-distance MDI QKD protocol, the quantum coin-tossing protocol, and other quantum cryptography protocols.
The versatility of silicon photonic integrated circuits has led to a widespread usage of this platform for quantum information-based applications, including quantum key distribution (QKD). However, the integration of simple high-repetition-rate photon sources is yet to be achieved. The use of weak-coherent pulses (WCPs) could represent a viable solution. For example, measurement device independent QKD (MDI-QKD) envisions the use of WCPs to distill a secret key immune to detector side channel attacks at large distances. Thus, the integration of III–V lasers on silicon waveguides is an interesting prospect for quantum photonics. Here we report the experimental observation of Hong–Ou–Mandel interference with 46 2% visibility between WCPs generated by two independent III–V on silicon waveguide integrated lasers. This quantum interference effect is at the heart of many applications, including MDI-QKD. This Letter represents a substantial first step towards an implementation of MDI-QKD fully integrated in silicon and could be beneficial for other applications such as standard QKD and novel quantum communication protocols.
The versatility of silicon photonic integrated circuits has led to a widespread usage of this platform for quantum information-based applications, including quantum key distribution (QKD). However, the integration of simple high-repetition-rate photon sources is yet to be achieved. The use of weak-coherent pulses (WCPs) could represent a viable solution. For example, measurement device independent QKD (MDI-QKD) envisions the use of WCPs to distill a secret key immune to detector side channel attacks at large distances. Thus, the integration of III-V lasers on silicon waveguides is an interesting prospect for quantum photonics. Here we report the experimental observation of Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with 46±2% visibility between WCPs generated by two independent III-V on silicon waveguide integrated lasers. This quantum interference effect is at the heart of many applications, including MDI-QKD. This Letter represents a substantial first step towards an implementation of MDI-QKD fully integrated in silicon and could be beneficial for other applications such as standard QKD and novel quantum communication protocols.
With the widespread application of quantum communication technology, there is an urgent need to enhance unconditionally secure key rates and capacity. Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD), proven to be immune to detection-side channel attacks, is a secure and reliable quantum communication scheme. The core of this scheme is Hong–Ou–Mandle (HOM) interference, a quantum optical phenomenon with no classical analog, where identical photons meeting on a symmetric beam splitter (BS) undergo interference and bunching. Any differences in the degrees of freedom (frequency, arrival time, spectrum, polarization, and the average number of photons per pulse) between the photons will deteriorate the interference visibility. Here, we demonstrate 16-channel weak coherent pulses (WCPs) of HOM interference with all channels’ interference visibility over 46% based on two independent frequency-post-aligned soliton microcombs (SMCs). In our experiment, full locking and frequency alignment of the comb teeth between the two SMCs were achieved through pump frequency stabilization, SMC repetition rate locking, and fine tuning of the repetition rate. This demonstrates the feasibility of using independently generated SMCs as multi-wavelength sources for quantum communication. Meanwhile, SMC can achieve hundreds of frequency-stable comb teeth by locking only two parameters, which further reduces the complexity of frequency locking and the need for finding sufficient suitable frequency references compared to independent laser arrays.
Interference between two completely independent photons lies at the heart of many photonic quantum information applications such as quantum repeaters, teleportation, and quantum key distribution. Here, we report the observation of Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interference with two independent continuous-wave coherent light sources that are neither synchronized nor share any common reference. To prepare indistinguishable photons from two independent laser sources, we employ high-precision frequency-stabilization techniques using the 5 S 1 / 2 ( F = 3 ) − 5 P 1 / 2 ( F ′ = 3 ) transition line of Rb 85 atoms. We successfully observe an HOM interference fringe with two independent continuous-wave coherent photons originating from either the frequency-locked or the frequency-modulated lasers. An interference fringe involving two-photon beating is also observed when the frequency difference between the two interfering photons is beyond the spectral bandwidth of the individual coherent photons. We carry out further experiments to verify the robustness of the source preparation regardless of the separation distance between the two independent photon sources.