We demonstrate a 300-times enhancement in the second-order cross correlation of entangled photon pairs generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing on a robust silicon topological photonics platform using compact, high-Q Floquet defect mode resonance.
Entanglement is a valuable resource in quantum information technologies. The practical implementation of entangled photon sources faces obstacles from imperfections and defects inherent in physical systems, resulting in a loss or degradation of entanglement. The topological photonic insulators, however, have emerged as promising candidates, demonstrating an exceptional capability to resist defect-induced scattering, thus enabling the development of robust entangled sources. Despite their inherent advantages, building programmable topologically protected entangled sources remains challenging due to complex device designs and weak material nonlinearity. Here, we present a development in entangled photon-pair generation achieved through a nonmagnetic and tunable anomalous Floquet insulator, utilizing an optical spontaneous four-wave-mixing process. We verify the nonclassicality and time-energy entanglement of the photons generated by our topological system. Our experiment demonstrates a substantial enhancement in nonclassical photon-pair generation compared to devices reliant only on topological edge states. Our results could lead to the development of resilient quantum sources with potential applications in quantum technology. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Current integrated implementations of entangled photonic sources are limited by fabrication imperfections and defects that introduce scattering and loss, degrading entanglement quality. Topological photonic insulators have recently emerged as a promising platform for robust photon transport due to their resilience against defect-induced scattering, enabling disorder-tolerant entangled photon generation. However, realizing bright entangled sources in topological systems remains challenging because of weak material optical nonlinearities. Here, we demonstrate entangled photon-pair generation in a nonmagnetic and wavelength-tunable anomalous Floquet topological insulator using spontaneous four-wave mixing. Time-energy entanglement is verified through photon coincidence measurements.
Abstract Entanglement, a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, plays a crucial role as a valuable resource in quantum technologies. The practical implementation of entangled photon sources encounters obstacles arising from imperfections and defects inherent in physical systems and microchips, resulting in a loss or degradation of entanglement. The topological photonic insulators, however, have emerged as promising candidates, demonstrating an exceptional capability to resist defect-induced scattering, thus enabling the development of robust entangled sources. Despite their inherent advantages, building bright and programmable topologically protected entangled sources remains challenging due to intricate device designs and weak material nonlinearity. Here we present an advancement in entanglement generation achieved through a non-magnetic and tunable resonance-based anomalous Floquet insulator, utilizing an optical spontaneous four-wave mixing process. Our experiment demonstrates a substantial enhancement in entangled photon pair generation compared to devices reliant solely on topological edge states and outperforming trivial photonic devices in spectral resilience. This work marks a step forward in the pursuit of defect-robust and bright entangled sources that can open avenues for the exploration of cascaded quantum devices and the engineering of quantum states. Our result could lead to the development of resilient quantum sources with potential applications in quantum technologies.
The efficient generation of non-classical light at the micro- and nanoscale is central to the development of quantum technologies. Integrated photonic structures offer new opportunities for increasing the generation efficiency and control of the quantum state of non-classical light. Recently, photonic structures based on topology conservation have been proposed as platforms to overcome issues associated with disorder and fabrication imperfections. For instance, it has been suggested that topological edge states can be exploited for the generation of photon pairs having robust spectral correlations [1]. More recently, the effect of topology on path correlations of photon pairs generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in waveguide arrays has also been investigated [2].