On-chip single photons

Justin B. Spring, Patrick S. Salter, Paolo L. Mennea +13 more

We demonstrate generation of heralded single photons in silica photonic chips with a preparation efficiency of 80% and single photon purity of 0.86. We show multiple indistinguishable photon sources on a single chip with HOM-dip visibilities of up to 95%.

Mirko Lobino, Jeremy L. O’Brien

David F. P. Pile

Aveek Chandra, Shuin Jian Wu, Angelina Frank +1 more

Quantum photonic devices operating in the single photon regime require the detection and characterization of quantum states of light. Chip-scale, waveguide-based devices are a key enabling technology for increasing the scale and complexity of such systems. Collecting single photons from multiple outputs at the end-face of such a chip is a core task that is frequently non-trivial, especially when output ports are densely spaced. We demonstrate a novel, inexpensive method to efficiently image and route individual output modes of a polymer photonic chip, where single photons undergo a quantum walk. The method makes use of single-pixel imaging (SPI) with a digital micromirror device (DMD). By implementing a series of masks on the DMD and collecting the reflected signal into single-photon detectors, the spatial distribution of the single photons can be reconstructed with high accuracy. We also demonstrate the feasibility of optimization strategies based on compressive sensing.

I. S. Osborne

Quantum Photonics Optical circuits based on the fabrication of waveguides in silica have the proven capacity to transport single photons from one part of an optical chip to another. Quantum-enhanced sensing and communication applications will require the single photons and the generated quantum states of several interacting single photons to be transported between separate chips. However, the delicate nature of the quantum states has made such interconnectivity difficult to achieve. Using grating couplers on each chip and connecting them with a single-mode fiber, Wang et al. demonstrate the ability to generate an entangled state on one chip and transfer it to another. Such a coupling and transfer of quantum states will be crucial for developing advanced quantum-based technologies. Optica 3 , 407 (2016).

Ong, Davanco, Shehata +8 more