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Frontiers of Optoelectronics

Experimental Hong—Ou—Mandel interference using two independent heralded single-photon sources

Meng Ye, Yong Wang, Peng Gao, Likun Xu, Guanjin Huang

Published Jul 8, 2020• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1007/s12200-020-0986-2

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•Jan 1, 2019•21 citations
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.
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.
For the quantum interference between two truly independent heralded single photon sources (HSPSs), which are generated from the spontaneous parametric processes pumping with ultrafast laser pulses, the visibility of Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interference will be degraded by the mode mismatch. The mode mismatch influenced by the purity of HSPSs has been extensively investigated. Here we show that the chirp of HSPSs will change the pulse duration of ultrafast single photons and introduce additional mode mismatch. To obtain the optimized visibility, which is ultimately determined by the purity of HSPSs, the chirp of each HSPS, originated from its pulsed pump field and propagation media, should be properly managed. Our theoretical analysis shows the methods for minimizing the chirp-induced mode mismatch depend on the bandwidth and phase matching condition of the HSPSs. Our study is useful for designing the HOM interferometers in quantum information processing.
Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) has garnered significant attention for enabling security-loophole-free quantum communication. Successful MDI-QKD protocols rely on performing a two-photon Bell-state measurement at an intermediate node, where achieving a high-visibility Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference pattern between two independent coherent photons is crucial. In this study, we present an approach for developing indistinguishable coherent photon sources over 50 km of optical fiber under real-world conditions. We introduce the long optical injection-locking (long-OIL) technique, which enables frequency locking between two long-distance coherent photons separated by distances exceeding the coherence length of the master laser. Utilizing the long-OIL technique, we achieved time-resolved HOM interference with a visibility of 48(2)%, which is close to the theoretical limits of 50% for two independent continuous-wave coherent photons. Our results indicate that the long-OIL platform is a promising solution for MDI-QKD with repeaterless secret-key capacity.
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.