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Quantum 2.0 Conference and Exhibition

Cryogenic Degenerate Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion

Nina Amelie Lange, Timon Schapeler, Jan Philipp Höpker, Maximilian Protte, Tim J. Bartley

Published Jan 1, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We show a HOM dip between degenerate signal and idler photons at (1559.33 ± 0.05) nm from cryogenic integrated SPDC in lithium niobate, compatible with superconducting detectors. This is enabled by precise control over the cryogenic phase-matching.
DOI
10.1364/quantum.2023.qw2a.17

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Integrated quantum photonic devices require the combination of quantum light sources, elements for guiding and manipulating the photonic states and detectors [1] . In a fully-integrated platform, the operating conditions for each component must be mutually compatible. Whilst parametric down-conversion (PDC) as a source for photonic states is well-established under ambient conditions [2] , other quantum photonic technologies require cryogenic operation temperatures, in particular superconducting single-photon detectors [3] .

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 21, 2021•0 citations
We demonstrate the generation of degenerate photon pairs from spontaneous parametric down-conversion in titanium-indiffused waveguides in lithium niobate at cryogenic temperatures. Since the phase matching cannot be temperature tuned inside a cryostat, we rely on a precise empirical model of the refractive indices when fabricating a fixed poling period. We design the phase-matching properties of our periodic poling to enable signal and idler photons at 1559.3(6)1559.3(6)1559.3(6) nm and characterize the indistinguishability of our photons by performing a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference measurement. Despite the effects of photorefraction and pyroelectricity, which can locally alter the phase matching, we achieve cryogenic indistinguishable photons within 1.5 nm of our design wavelength. Our results verify sufficient understanding and control of the cryogenic nonlinear process, which has wider implications when combining quasi-phase-matched nonlinear optical processes with other cryogenic photonic quantum technologies, such as superconducting detectors.
Scalable quantum photonics relies on interfacing many optical components under mutually compatible operating conditions. To that end, we demonstrate that spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in nonlinear waveguides, a standard technology for generating entangled photon pairs, squeezed states, and heralded single photons, is fully compatible with cryogenic operating conditions required for superconducting detectors. This is necessary for the proliferation of integrated quantum photonics in integration platforms exploiting quasi-phase-matched second-order nonlinear interactions. We investigate how cryogenic operation at 4 K affects the SPDC process by comparing the heralding efficiency, second-order correlation function, and spectral properties with operation at room temperature.
The titanium in-diffused lithium niobate waveguide platform is well-established for reliable prototyping and packaging of many quantum photonic components at room temperature. Nevertheless, compatibility with certain quantum light sources and superconducting detectors requires operation under cryogenic conditions. We characterize alterations in phase-matching and mode guiding of a non-degenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion process emitting around 1556 nm and 950 nm, under cryogenic conditions. Despite the effects of pyroelectricity and photorefraction, the spectral properties match our theoretical model. Nevertheless, these effects cause small but significant variations within and between cooling cycles. These measurements provide a first benchmark against which other nonlinear photonic integration platforms, such as thin-film lithium niobate, can be compared.
Dataset of the publication "Degenerate photons from a cryogenic spontaneous parametric down-conversion source", N. A. Lange, T. Schapeler, J. P. Höpker, M. Protte, and T. J. Bartley, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2303.17428 (2023). Abstract: We demonstrate the generation of degenerate photon pairs from spontaneous parametric down-conversion in titanium-indiffused waveguides in lithium niobate at cryogenic temperatures. Since the phase matching cannot be temperature tuned inside a cryostat, we rely on a precise empirical model of the refractive indices when fabricating a fixed poling period. We design the phase-matching properties of our periodic poling to enable signal and idler photons at 1559.3(6) nm and characterize the indistinguishability of our photons by performing a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference measurement. Despite the effects of photorefraction and pyroelectricity, which can locally alter the phase matching, we achieve cryogenic indistinguishable photons within 1.5 nm of our design wavelength. Our results verify sufficient understanding and control of the cryogenic nonlinear process, which has wider implications when combining quasi-phase-matched nonlinear optical processes with other cryogenic photonic quantum technologies, such as superconducting detectors.
Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is one of the most efficient sources for quantum emitters, which holds promise for numerous applications in quantum key distribution [1] , quantum computing [2] , and quantum networks [3] . Despite its vast potential yet simple measurement setup, the applicability of the SPDC sources is still limited due to their modest conversion efficiency. Therefore, many attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of the process, but mainly focused on phase-matched regime which relied upon the use of macroscopic birefringent crystals or material engineering. Here, we study the SPDC process at the telecom wavelength range in 200 nm thick thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). This study not only provides an insight into the two-photon light generation process in the new non-phase-matched regime [4] , [5] also paves the way for the monolithic integration of available SPDC sources in chip-based devices [6] and metasurfaces [7] from nonlinear materials such as barium titanate, and gallium arsenide.
Integrated quantum photonic devices require the combination of quantum light sources, elements for guiding and manipulating the photonic states and detectors [1] . In a fully-integrated platform, the operating conditions for each component must be mutually compatible. Whilst parametric down-conversion (PDC) as a source for photonic states is well-established under ambient conditions [2] , other quantum photonic technologies require cryogenic operation temperatures, in particular superconducting single-photon detectors [3] .