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Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation

Synchronized network source of indistinguishable photons

Nijil Lal, Ivan A. Burenkov, Ya-Shian Li-Baboud, M. V. Jabir, Paulina S. Kuo, Thomas Gerrits, Oliver Slattery, Sergey V. Polyakov

Published Mar 13, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We build a network source of indistinguishable photons, synchronized to an external clock, that could be used as scalable modular unit in an extended quantum network infrastructure. We characterize the indistinguishability and synchronization of this source. The Hong-Ou-Mandel dip shows near unity indistinguishability. Allan deviation analysis shows sub-picosecond jitter when locked to an external clock. The jitter figure is more than 10 times smaller than the pulse duration of 30ps. The source is compatible with many clock recovery systems, including the White Rabbit Precision Time Protocol (WR-PTP). This source enables scalable quantum protocols over multi-node, long-distance optical networks.

DOI
10.1117/12.3002401

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We build a network source of indistinguishable photons, synchronized to an external clock, that could be used as scalable modular unit in an extended quantum network infrastructure. We characterize the indistinguishability and synchronization of this source. The Hong-Ou-Mandel dip shows near unity indistinguishability. Allan deviation analysis shows sub-picosecond jitter when locked to an external clock. The jitter figure is more than 10 times smaller than the pulse duration of 30ps. The source is compatible with many clock recovery systems, including the White Rabbit Precision Time Protocol (WR-PTP). This source enables scalable quantum protocols over multi-node, long-distance optical networks.
We present a source of indistinguishable photons at telecom wavelength, synchronized to an external clock, for the use in distributed quantum networks. We characterize the indistinguishability of photons generated in independent parametric down-conversion events using a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer, and show non-classical interference with coalescence, C = 0.83(5). We also demonstrate the synchronization to an external clock within sub-picosecond timing jitter, which is significantly shorter than the single-photon wavepacket duration of ≈ 35 ps. Our source enables scalable quantum protocols over multi-node, long-distance optical networks using network-based clock recovery systems.
We demonstrate picosecond-level synchronization of two actively mode-locked Ti:Sapphire lasers via the white rabbit precision time protocol (WR-PTP), tested over 120 km of deployed optical fiber. This synchronization capability, in combination with the highly single-mode, transform-limited pulses produced by each laser, enables their use as pump lasers for indistinguishable photon sources at remote locations in a quantum network. Here, the WR-PTP serves as a scalable network synchronization protocol, and its performance is compared to traditional methods of local synchronization. We demonstrate pulse-to-pulse synchronization better than 3 ps and time deviation (TDEV) values below 4 ps for all averaging times up to 10 s. With a designed coherence time of 35 ps for single photon sources utilizing these lasers, the achievable temporal overlap corresponds to 98% Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference visibility between independent sources.
Time synchronization is a fundamental requirement in entanglement-based quantum networks, where the indistinguishability of photons in the time domain is essential for enabling Hong-Ou-Mandel interference and entanglement swapping. In addition to precise temporal alignment, it is equally crucial to ensure the stability of the reference clock over time, as even small fluctuations can degrade the overall performance of the network. In this work, we investigate the stability of clock synchronization for entanglement distribution based on entangled-photon sources operating in the telecommunication C-band. Temporal correlations between photon detection events are analyzed using time-tagged coincidence measurements, enabling the extraction of synchronization peaks and their long-term stability. Experimental results demonstrate that, once locked, the sources exhibit stable temporal correlations over an 8-hour acquisition period, with a maximum observed drift of approximately 120 ps, primarily associated with long fiber links. The width of the correlation peak remains consistent with detector jitter, indicating negligible additional system-induced temporal broadening. A central result of this work is the experimental synchronization between two entanglement-photon sources in a realistic metropolitan deployment, where entanglement distribution is performed over existing telecommunication infrastructure characterized by non-negligible losses and background noise. In this scenario, despite the presence of significant imperfections introduced by the metropolitan-scale fiber network, the observed correlations remain clearly detectable and are consistently well-approximated by Gaussian statistics. This confirms that the two sources can be reliably synchronized not only in controlled laboratory conditions but also under real-world operating constraints.
Abstract Photonic quantum technology requires precise, time-resolved identification of photodetection events. In distributed quantum networks with spatially separated and drifting time references, achieving high precision is particularly challenging. Here we build on recent advances of using single-photons for time transfer and employ and quantify a fast postprocessing scheme designed to pulsed single-photon sources. We achieve an average root mean square synchronization jitter of 3.0 ps. The stability is comparable to systems with Rb vapor cell clocks with 19 ps at 1 s integration time, in terms of Allan time deviation. Remarkably, our stability is even better than classical high-precision time transfer, like the White Rabbit protocol, although we use significantly less signal (single-photon level). Our algorithms allow local processing of the data and do not affect the secure key rate. It compensates substantial clock imperfections from crystal oscillators and we foresee great potential for low signal scenarios. The findings are naturally suited to quantum communication networks and provide simultaneous time transfer without adding hardware or modifying the single-photon sources.
Precise timing synchronization is essential for distributed quantum networking, enabling entanglement distribution, quantum teleportation, and entanglement swapping across remote nodes. Existing synchronization architectures rely on dedicated timing-distribution infrastructure, most notably White Rabbit networks, which constrain topology, scalability, and deployment in free-space and satellite environments. Here we demonstrate link-free synchronization of quantum network nodes using independently operating miniature rubidium atomic clocks and computational post-processing. We validate the approach on a deployed metropolitan-scale telecom fiber network spanning three geographically separated nodes. Following drift correction, atomic-clock-based synchronization achieves timing performance approaching that of a White Rabbit benchmark and remains stable over continuous 8-hour operation. As a stringent test of quantum-network functionality, we observe Hong-Ou-Mandel interference across spatially separated nodes with visibility exceeding 70%, statistically equivalent to that obtained using dedicated White Rabbit timing links. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first observation of quantum interference across a deployed metropolitan-scale telecom fiber network synchronized entirely without dedicated timing-transfer infrastructure. These results establish atomic-clock-based synchronization as a scalable, topology-independent alternative to conventional timing-distribution architectures and a practical pathway toward terrestrial, airborne, and space-based quantum networks where dedicated timing links are unavailable.