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Frontiers in Optics

Non-Classical Quantum State Generation using Superconducting-Nanostrip Photon-Number Resolving Detector with Optical Sampling

Mamoru Endo, Kazuma Takahashi, Takefumi Nomura, Tatsuki Sonoyama, Shigehito Miki, Masahiro Yabuno, Hirotaka Terai, Takahiro Kashiwazaki, Asuka Inoue, Takeshi Umeki, Rajveer Nehra, Kan Takase, Warit Asavanant, Akira Furusawa

Published Jan 1, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Superconducting-nanostrip photon detectors with optical sampling method now function as true photon-number resolving detectors in real-time without multiplexing. We applied this technique for quantum state generation vital for ultra-fast optical quantum computation.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2024.fw1c.3

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Photon-number-resolving detectors (PNRDs) are the ultimate optical sensors. Superconducting-nanostrip photon detectors (SNSPDs), traditionally known as ON-OFF detectors, have recently been found to have photon number resolving capability without multiplexing. This discovery positions them to become true PNRDs. However, their practical use is limited by the need to precisely detect tiny signal differences with low signal-to-noise ratios within sub-nanosecond time frames. We overcome this challenge using optical sampling with a dual-output Mach-Zehnder modulator (DO-MZM) and an ultra-short pulsed laser. By adjusting the DO-MZM's bias voltage to nearly balance the outputs, this method enables sensitive detection of picosecond-order signal differences, achieving a temporal resolution of 1.9 ps and facilitating real-time photon number resolution. We applied this method to produce various non-classical quantum states, enhancing their non-classicality through photon number resolution. This advancement marks a significant shift from principle verification to practical application for SNSPD-type PNRDs in diverse quantum optics fields.
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Photon number resolving detectors find space in many fields, such as quantum optics, boson sampling and fluorescence spectroscopy. In particular, the reconstruction of the input photon distribution is essential in quantum communications to detect photon-number-splitting attacks. In this work, we discuss the operation configurations of a photon number resolving detector based on superconducting nanostrips at a wavelength of 1550 nm from a temporal point of view. We set a time binning and acquired the number of recorded pulses per bin by means of a time-to-digital converter. We studied the predictions of two theoretical models and compared them to the experimental data in order to analyse their operation regimes depending on the binwidth and to employ them for the reconstruction of the input photon distribution. We applied this method to a continuous-wave laser source, showing that the former can be used for the characterization of non-pulsed light sources, even with a photon emission rate so low that the dark count rate of a superconducting nanostrip is not negligible.