Coupling of correlated entangled photons into single-mode optical fibers.

Ronen Shekel, Ohad Lib, Rodrigo Gutiérrez–Cuevas +3 more

Multimode optical fibers support low-loss transmission of multiple spatial modes, allowing for the transport of high-dimensional, spatially encoded information. In particular, encoding quantum information in the transverse shape of photons may boost the capacity of quantum channels while using existing infrastructure. However, when photons propagate through a multimode fiber, their transverse shape gets scrambled because of mode mixing and modal interference. This is usually corrected using free-space spatial light modulators, inhibiting a robust all-fiber operation. In this work, we demonstrate an all-fiber approach for controlling the shape of single photons and the spatial correlations between entangled photon pairs, using carefully controlled mechanical perturbations of the fiber. We optimize these perturbations to localize the spatial distribution of a single photon or the spatial correlations of photon pairs in a single spot, enhancing the signal in the optimized spot by over an order of magnitude. Using the same approach, we show a similar enhancement for coupling light from a multimode fiber into a single-mode fiber.

G. Brida, Marco Genovese, KRIVITSKY L. A +2 more

G. Brida, Valentina Caricato, Marco Genovese +2 more

Roger Andrews, Edward R. Pike, Sarben Sarkar

We present a consistent multimode theory that describes the coupling of single photons generated by collinear Type-I parametric downconversion into single-mode optical fibers. We have calculated an analytic expression for the fiber diameter which maximizes the pair photon count rate. For a given focal length and wavelength, a lower limit of the fiber diameter for satisfactory coupling is obtained.

Fabio Antonio Bovino, Pietro Varisco, A.M. Colla +3 more

Matthias Steiner, Hendrik M. Meyer, Jakob Reichel +1 more

We present a light-matter interface which consists of a single 174Yb+ ion coupled to an optical fiber cavity. We observe that photons at 935 nm are mainly emitted into the cavity mode and that correlations between the polarization of the photon and the spin state of the ion are preserved despite the intrinsic coupling into a single-mode fiber. Complementary, when a faint coherent light field is injected into the cavity mode, we find enhanced and polarization dependent absorption by the ion.