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Integrated Room Temperature Single Photon Source in Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Quantum Key Distribution

Helen Zhi Jie Zeng, Ali Al‐Juboori, Minh Nguyen, Xiaoyu Ai, Adam Bennet, Arne Laucht, Alexander S. Solntsev, Milos Toth, Richard Paul Mildren, Robert Malaney, Igor Aharonovich

Published Jan 1, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is important for a variety of quantum technologies. Here we demonstrate a free-space room temperature, discreet-variable QKD system using a bright Single photon sources (SPS) in hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN).
DOI
10.1364/cleo_at.2024.aw4d.1

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Abstract Quantum key distribution (QKD) is considered the most immediate application to be widely implemented among a variety of potential quantum technologies. QKD enables sharing secret keys between distant users by using photons as information carriers. An ongoing endeavor is to implement these protocols in practice in a robust, and compact manner so as to be efficiently deployable in a range of real‐world scenarios. Single photon sources (SPS) in solid‐state materials are prime candidates in this respect. This article demonstrates a room temperature, discrete‐variable quantum key distribution system using a bright single photon source in hexagonal‐boron nitride, operating in free‐space. Employing an easily interchangeable photon source system, keys with one million bits length, and a secret key of approximately 70000 bits, at a quantum bit error rate of 6%, with ε‐security of 10 −10 are generated. This study demonstrates the first proof of concept finite‐key BB84 QKD system realized with hBN defects.
High-purity single photon sources (SPS) that can operate at room temperature are highly desirable for a myriad of applications, including quantum photonics and quantum key distribution. In this work, we realise an ultra-bright solid-state SPS based on an atomic defect in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) integrated with a solid immersion lens (SIL). The SIL increases the source efficiency by a factor of six, and the integrated system is capable of producing over ten million single photons per second at room temperature. Our results are promising for practical applications of SPS in quantum communication protocols.
High-purity single-photon sources (SPS) that can operate at room temperature are highly desirable for a myriad of applications, including quantum photonics and quantum key distribution. In this work, we realize an ultra-bright solid-state SPS based on an atomic defect in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) integrated with a solid immersion lens (SIL). The SIL increases the source efficiency by a factor of six, and the integrated system is capable of producing over ten million single photons per second at room temperature. Our results are promising for practical applications of SPS in quantum communication protocols.
Abstract Efficient single photon generation is an important requirement for several practical applications in quantum technologies, including quantum cryptography. A proof‐of‐concept demonstration of free‐space quantum key distribution (QKD) is presented with single photons generated from an isolated defect in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The bright source operating at room temperature is integrated into a QKD system based on B92 protocol and a sifted key rate of 238 bps with a quantum bit error rate of 8.95% are achieved at 1 MHz clock rate. The effect of temporal filtering of detected photons on the performance of QKD parameters is also studied. It is believed that these results will stimulate the research on optically active defects in hBN as well as other 2D‐based quantum emitters and their applications within quantum information technologies including practical QKD systems.
Quantum theory is the foundation of modern physics.Some of its basic principles, such as Born's rule, however, are based on postulates which require experimental testing.Any deviation from Born's rule would result in higher-order interference and can thus be tested in an experiment.Here, we report on such a test with a quantum light source based on a color center in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) coupled to a microcavity.Our room-temperature photon source features a narrow-linewidth, high-efficiency, high-purity, and on-demand single-photon generation.With the single-photon source we can increase the interferometric sensitivity of our three-path interferometer compared to conventional laser-based light sources by fully suppressing the detector nonlinearity.We thereby obtain a tight bound on the third-order interference term of 3.96(523) × 10 -4 .We also measure an interference visibility of 98.58% for our single photons emitted from hBN at room temperature, which provides a promising route for using the hBN platform as light source for phase-encoding schemes in quantum key distribution.
Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is known as a promising solid-state platform to host room temperature quantum emitters that produce high purity single photons. The bright and spectrally adaptable hBN emitters are space-compatible, making hBN well-suited for satellite-based free-space optical (FSO) quantum key distribution (QKD) at wavelengths where the atmospheric background is naturally suppressed. This paper presents a pathway to develop hBN emitters operating near the Ca-II Fraunhofer line (at 854 nm), enabling daylight FSO operation. Moreover, due to its compatibility with the first telecommunication window at 850 nm, it is possible to interface with optical fibers to bridge the `last mile' in a scenario where multiple end-users connect through a single optical ground station to a QKD satellite. We therefore introduce a concept that combines continuous operation of a quantum network, hybrid links to minimize deployment costs, and high data rates due to the use of realistic single photon sources. The realization would be an important milestone for the development of the quantum internet.