Scalable routing of single photons from a trapped ion on a photonic chip

Uday Saha, James Siverns, John Hannegan, Mihika Prabhu, Eric A. Bersin, Saumil Bandyopadhyay, Jacques Carolan, Qudsia Sara Quraishi, Dirk Englund, Edo Waks A

Published Mar 4, 2022• 0 citations

Publisher

Abstract

We route the single photons from a trapped barium ion in a nanophotonic circuit. For this routing, we first generate C-band telecom single photons from barium ion which makes them compatible with the silicon-nitride photonic foundry. Then using the thermo-optic property of silicon-nitride, we switch the single photons in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer controlling the current of the phase-shifter. These results could enable a new generation of compact and reconfigurable integrated photonic devices that can serve as efficient quantum interconnects for quantum computers and sensors.

DOI: 10.1117/12.2617262

Related papers

Routing Single Photons from a Trapped Ion Using a Photonic Integrated Circuit

Uday Saha, James Siverns, John Hannegan +4 more

Trapped ions are promising candidates for nodes of a scalable quantum network due to their long-lived qubit coherence times and high-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates. Future quantum networks based on trapped ions will require a scalable way to route photons between different nodes. Photonic integrated circuits from fabrication foundries provide a compact solution to this problem. However, these circuits typically operate at telecommunication wavelengths that are incompatible with the strong dipole emissions of trapped ions. In this work, we demonstrate the routing of single photons from a trapped ion using a photonic integrated circuit. We employ quantum frequency conversion to match the emission of the ion to the operating wavelength of a foundry-fabricated silicon nitride photonic integrated circuit, achieving a total transmission of 31.0% \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.9% through the device. Using programmable phase shifters, we switch the single photons between the output channels of the circuit and demonstrate a 50:50 beam splitting condition. These results constitute an important step towards programmable routing and entanglement distribution in large-scale quantum networks and distributed quantum computers.

arXiv:2203.08048Physical Review AppliedMar 1, 202312 citations

Low-loss all-optical ns-switching for single-photon routing in scalable integrated quantum photonics

Fabian Ruf, Lars Nielsen, Mircea Balauroiu +2 more

Efficient single-photon routing and switching are crucial for optical quantum computing and communication. For this purpose, all-optical switches are designed for gigahertz bandwidths. The switching mechanism is based on the optical Kerr effect via cross-phase modulation (CPM) of the single-photon signal by a strong 1550-nm pump pulse. For energy-efficient switching, this nonlinear effect is exploited in a microresonator that can either be used directly as an intensity switch in a typical add–drop configuration or as a phase shifter in a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure. To speed up resonance build-up and quenching, a pre-emphasis build and an off-resonance wipe pulse are used. The proposed designs are verified by traveling-wave simulations which demonstrate that 0.1 dB insertion loss and ~1 ns switching windows can be achieved. For a scalable out-of-the-lab transfer, we investigate the feasibility of the proposed switch designs for fabrication in a mature photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platform. In particular, silicon nitride PICs have demonstrated record-low losses which makes them suitable for single-photon applications. By parametric modelling of the microresonator’s directional couplers based on Lumerical EME and 2.5-dimensional varFDTD simulations, the required power transmission coefficients for both signal and pump wavelength can be achieved. This results in an all-optical switch design ready for fabrication in a commercial PIC foundry which can potentially enable scalable architectures for quantum photonic applications.

Integrated Photonics PlatformsMay 26, 20223 citations

Integrated photonics for scalable quantum systems: from UV nanophotonics to trapped-ion architectures

Rangana Banerjee Chaudhuri, Carl-Frederik Grimpe, Fatemeh Salahshoori +5 more

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) offer compact and scalable solutions for trapped-ion quantum technologies. This work demonstrates photonic platforms that promise the potential integration of photonic components for light delivery and control across ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Passive waveguides and beam-shaping structures provide precise and stable optical addressing of ions, while active elements such as modulators and switches enable dynamic, on-chip control for quantum operations. Materials like aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and aluminum nitride (AlN) are evaluated to illustrate how functionality can be tailored to spectral needs. These integrated photonic systems reduce reliance on bulky free-space optics, improve alignment stability, and support future development of compact quantum sensors, atomic clocks, and scalable quantum processors.

Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and TechnologiesMar 4, 20260 citations

Integrated multi-wavelength photonic routing architectures for scalable trapped ion quantum devices

Alto Osada, Koichiro Miyanishi

Recent advances in quantum technologies rely on precise control and integration of quantum objects, and technological breakthroughs are anticipated for further scaling up to realize practical applications. Trapped-ion quantum technology is a promising candidate to realize them, while its scalability depends on the development of intra-node scaling up, reproducibility of quantum nodes, and photonic interconnection among them. Utilization of integrated photonics instead of free-space optics is a crucial step toward mass production of trapped-ion quantum nodes and manifests itself as useful for laser delivery for various quantum operations and photon detection. However, the whole architecture of the scalable photonic circuits for them is left unexplored. In this work, we discuss photonic routing architectures for trapped-ion quantum devices, in which lasers of multiple wavelengths are delivered to multiple trapping zones within a single chip. We analyze two methods of configuring nanophotonic waveguides and compare them in terms of loss of total laser power. This work opens up a new landscape of photonic architecture for trapped-ion quantum technologies, which broadens the scope of integrated photonics for quantum technologies.

APL QuantumJan 2, 20260 citations

On-chip tunable quantum interference in a lithium niobate-on-insulator photonic integrated circuit

Andreas Maeder, Giovanni Finco, Fabian Kaufmann +4 more

Abstract Programmable interferometric circuits are at the heart of integrated quantum photonic processors. While the lithium niobate-on-insulator platform has the potential to advance integrated quantum photonics due to its strong nonlinearity and tight mode confinement, the demonstration of reconfigurable two-photon interference has not yet been achieved. Here, we design, fabricate and characterize the building block of such interferometric networks in the form of a 2 × 2 Mach–Zehnder Interferometer. We use a thermo-optic phase shifter to achieve stable performance with a power consumption of P π = 44.4 mW and sub-microsecond switching times. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our device for quantum applications by measuring single-photon routing with up to 34 dB extinction ratio. We show Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with fully tunable visibilities reaching a maximum value of 97.4 ± 1.0 % . As part of large scale quantum photonic circuits, this building block will facilitate reconfigurable and tunable photonic processing units integrated alongside non-classical light sources.

Quantum Science and TechnologyMay 14, 202411 citations

Photon manipulation in silicon nanophotonic circuits

Ali W. Elshaari

Quantum-based communication systems can potentially achieve the ultimate security from eavesdropping and greatly reduce the operating powers on chip. Light-speed transmission, noise immunity, and low noise properties make photons indispensable for quantum communication to transfer a quantum state through a transmission line. Furthermore, the field of silicon nanophotonics is fast growing field which is driven by the attractive and promising improvements it has to offer in high speed communication systems and on chip optical interconnects. Consequently, there is a high demand to develop the building blocks for photon manipulation in silicon nanophotonic circuits. The goal of the work is to enable high performance optoelectronic computing and communication systems that overcome the barriers of electronics and dramatically enhance the performance of circuits and systems. We will focus our attention on solving some of the issues with the current systems regarding photon storage, routing, isolation, switching, and energy conversion. We realize a continuously tunable optical memory which breaks the time-bandwidth limit by more than thirty times. This enabled the storage of ultra-short pulses of light for hundreds of picoseconds. Also, we investigate on-chip photon scattering when transmitted through micro-scale optical cavities. In addition, we develop novel dynamic quantum mechanical models that predict quantum-like behavior of single and multi-photon wavepackets. Furthermore, we report for the first time that efficient red shifts in silicon are achievable with free carrier injection which generally produces blue wavelength shifts. We realize adiabatic wavelength conversion and discrete photonic transitions of single photons in silicon cavities. Moreover, we demonstrate a basic quantum network on chip with an on-chip photon source. We present a novel design for CMOS compatible optical isolator on silicon chip using a system of active cavities. And finally, we analyze a novel ultra-fast broadband modulator in silicon based on free-carrier absorption effect in SOI waveguides integrated with Schottky diodes.

Dec 1, 20111 citation