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International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks

Quantum Information Processing Using Intermodal Four-Wave Mixing in Multi-Mode Optical Fibers

Karsten K. Rottwitt, Jesper B. Christensen, Erik Nicolai Christensen, Jacob G. Koefoed

Published Jul 1, 2019• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Being able to generate and process quantum states are essential functionalities in quantum communication. Examples of the processing include conversion of the wavelength of quantum states or modification of their temporal shape. The combined use of four-wave mixing and higher order modes in optical fibers has enabled such functionalities. The use of intermodal four-wave mixing among higher order modes, enable frequency conversion over a wavelength bandwidth, large enough to avoid spontaneous Raman scattering, which is otherwise detrimental for quantum communication. The process of intermodal four-wave mixing furthermore has the advantage that the same process may be used to generate single photon states. We review recent results on the use of intermodal four-wave mixing in optical multi-mode fibers for quantum information science and show a theoretical/numerical model that may be used to predict the performance of quantum state processing devices based on four-wave mixing.

DOI
10.1109/icton.2019.8840313

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Being able to generate and process quantum states are essential functionalities in quantum communication. Examples of the processing include conversion of the wavelength of quantum states or modification of their temporal shape. The combined use of four-wave mixing and higher order modes in optical fibers has enabled such functionalities. The use of intermodal four-wave mixing among higher order modes, enable frequency conversion over a wavelength bandwidth, large enough to avoid spontaneous Raman scattering, which is otherwise detrimental for quantum communication. The process of intermodal four-wave mixing furthermore has the advantage that the same process may be used to generate single photon states. We review recent results on the use of intermodal four-wave mixing in optical multi-mode fibers for quantum information science and show a theoretical/numerical model that may be used to predict the performance of quantum state processing devices based on four-wave mixing.
The strong interest in space-division multiplexing of classical communication signals has resulted in development of optical fibers that support propagation of multiple modes. This has paved the way for progress in signal processing using multiple modes and four-wave mixing between these. More specifically, careful design and knowledge of optical properties of individual modes enables phase matching in four-wave mixing that is otherwise not possible with single-mode fibers. This enables signal processing using four-wave mixing between higher-order modes for e.g. frequency conversion over a wide bandwidth. In addition, processing and creation of quantum states has also been demonstrated using four-wave mixing, including generation of photon pairs. In this work we review recent progress in signal processing and generation of quantum states using four-wave mixing.
Four-wave mixing in optical fibers has been proven to have many applications within processing of classical optical signals. In addition, recent developments in multimode fibers have made it possible to achieve the necessary phase-matching for efficient four-wave mixing over a very wide bandwidth. Thus, the combination of multimode fiber optics and four-wave mixing is very attractive for various applications. This is especially the case for applications in quantum communication, for example in photon-pair generation. This is the subject of this work, where we discuss the impact of fluctuations in core radius on the quality of the heralded single-photon states and demonstrate experimental results of intermodal spontaneous four-wave mixing for photon-pair generation.
The authors consider, experimentally and theoretically, the quantum frequency translation (i.e., noiseless conversion) of quantum states of light, including single-photon states. This process is useful for allowing quantum optical systems (atoms, ions, cavities, fibers, detectors) operating at different wavelengths to communicate with each other. The authors recently developed the process of frequency translation in optical fiber through use of the Bragg scattering four-wave mixing process. The high nonlinearity and the ability to control dispersion in photonic crystal fiber (PCF) enable efficient translation between nearby photon channels within the visible to-near-infrared spectral range, useful in quantum networks. This offers an important advantage compared with frequency translation using second-order nonlinear optical crystals, which limits the translation process to widely separated frequencies only.
This thesis deals with applications of nonlinear four-wave mixing in the context of optical quantum information science. By enabling diverse functionalities such as single-photon generation, temporal shaping, and frequency conversion, four-wave mixing is a highly versatile tool for processing optical quantum information. The first part addresses the use of spontaneous four-wave mixing for generating entangled photon pairs with the particular property that the photons are uncorrelated in time and frequency. Two schemes are proposed to achieve this. The first proposal relies on a gradually varying interaction between two orthogonally polarized pump pulses in a birefringent waveguide. It is shown that, if the two pump pulses undergo a complete walk-through, the two generated photons emerge in orthogonal polarizations with uncorrelated- and tailorable time-frequency distributions. The second proposal deals with photon-pair generation in a microring resonator. In this setting, it is shown that a dual-pulse configuration can be used to excite- and subsequently de-excite the resonator on a sub-lifetime timescale. This turns out to strongly diminish time-frequency correlations. The second part considers the four-wave-mixing process Bragg scattering, which is known to enable noise-free frequency conversion. The Bragg-scattering process treated here, which occurs in a birefringent waveguide, is shown to allow for shape-preserving and strongly uni-directional conversion with a large acceptance bandwidth.
In this dissertation, multimode optical fibers (MMFs) have been studied as a robust and practical platform for nonlinear optics and quantum optics applications, where by experimental investigations and theoretical calculations we present the quantum and nonlinear virtue of MMFs as a versatile tool for future applications. Our investigations can be summarized in three parts: At first, we have investigated stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in a long MMF, where more than 20 orders of cascaded Raman peaks have been generated. Observation of beam clean-up despite the highly multimode nature of the fiber and such strong nonlinear interaction despite the large fiber core size are distinguishable results of our work. Next, we have studied four-wave mixing (FWM) via intermodal phase-matching in both step-index and graded-index MMFs (GIMFs). A rigorous and general approach in the theoretical study is presented where some of the commonly used, yet inaccurate approximations are avoided. Experimentally, FWM side-bands with minimal contamination from SRS, and residual pump photons have been generated from quantum vacuum and amplified more than 11 orders of magnitude. Finally, in the last part of this dissertation, we have done a theoretical study of photon-pair generation in a multimode optical fiber (both step-index and GIMF) via intermodal-FWM as a source of state-engineered photon-pairs.