Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Photonics

Temperature-Controlled Cascaded Fabry–Pérot Filters: A Scalable Solution for Ultra-Low-Noise Stokes Photon Detection in Quantum Systems

Ya Li, Changqing Niu, Weizhe Qiao, Xiaolong Zou, Youxing Chen

Published Oct 4, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

This study addresses the issue of cross-interference that occurs when locked continuous light and signal photons are collinear during interferometer measurements. To tackle this, a temperature-controlled Fabry–Pérot cavity filter with a heterogeneous cascaded structure is proposed and applied. The system consists of six filtering stages, created by designing Fabry–Pérot cavities of three different lengths, each used twice (to match optical frequencies), along with temperature control settings. By applying differentiated linewidth regulation, the approach effectively suppresses interference from locked light while significantly enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in photon detection. This method overcomes the challenge of interference from same-frequency noise photons in atomic ensemble-entangled sources, achieving a noise–photon extinction ratio on the order of 106 and surpassing the frequency resolution limit of a single filter. Experimental results demonstrate that the system reduces the noise floor in the detection optical path to below 10−16, while maintaining a photon transmission efficiency above 53% for the signal. This technology effectively addresses key challenges in noise suppression and photon state fidelity optimization in optical fiber quantum communication, offering a scalable frequency–photon noise filtering solution for long-distance quantum communication. Furthermore, its multi-parameter cooperative filtering mechanism holds broad potential applications in areas such as quantum storage and optical frequency combs.

DOI
10.3390/photonics12100986

Related papers

High Performance Fiber-Fabry-Perot Resonator Targeting Quantum Optics Applications

Jonathan P. Hedger, Tino Elsmann, Martin Becker +3 more

Quantum optics experiments frequently require the separation of single-photon-level signals from strong classical fields. In circumstances in which the signals are spectrally close, and one cannot make use of relatively simple separation methods based around differences in polarization state, optical mode, or beam direction, it is necessary to exploit the frequency difference itself as the means for signal separation. We have constructed and characterized an efficient and robust fiber-based filter, consisting of an all-fiber Fabry-Perot resonator, to achieve this goal. Our filter shows 31dB of suppression of unwanted signals and 76% transmission of the desired signal. The transmission of the filter was stabilized to within 2% of its maximum for over 35hours through simple temperature stabilization.

IEEE Photonics Technology Letters•Jun 17, 2020•10 citations

Integrated Fabry–Perot filter with wideband noise suppression for satellite-based daytime quantum key distribution

Liying Han, Yang Li, Ping Xu +5 more

Spectral filtering is essential in daytime quantum key distribution (QKD), which can suppress the strong background noise caused by scattered solar irradiation. An integrated Fabry-Perot filter is implemented based on a scheme that combines a Fabry-Perot etalon and a dense-wavelength-division-multiplex filter for narrow linewidth filtering and broad-spectrum noise suppression, respectively. This filter is integrated into a butterfly package with single-mode fibers for optical input and output, thereby enhancing high robustness and ease of use. The measurement results show that the filter has a linewidth of 25.6 pm, a noise suppression of over 44.7 dB ranging between 1380-1760 nm, an optical efficiency of 74.5% with variation less than 0.9% in 120 min, and a polarization fidelity after compensation exceeding 99.9%. The ability of fine-tuning the central wavelength with 9.5 pm/°C makes it very suitable for satellite-based applications under the Doppler effect. Further analysis is also given to demonstrate the prospects of applying this filter in future satellite-based daytime QKD applications.

Applied Optics•Jan 4, 2022•18 citations

A monolithic polarization-independent frequency-filter system for filtering of photon pairs

Andreas Ahlrichs, Christoph Berkemeier, Benjamin Sprenger +1 more

We set up a long-term stable filtering system that consists of cascaded monolithic Fabry-Pérot filters to enhance the suppression and free spectral range. An effective free spectral range of hundreds of GHz allows the system to be used as a high resolution monochromator, with a linewidth of 192 MHz. As an important application a single mode is filtered from photon pairs generated by a parametric down-conversion source, and their indistinguishability is proven by measuring the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect with a visibility of 96%. We report that undesired birefringence, which is often encountered with monolithic cavities, can be avoided by stress-free mounting.

Applied Physics Letters•Dec 9, 2013•15 citations

Measurement of Coherence Time in Cold Atom-Generated Tunable Photon Wave Packets Using an Unbalanced Fiber Interferometer

Ya Li, Wanru Wang, Qizhou Wu +4 more

In the realm of quantum communication and photonic technologies, the extension of coherence time for photon wave packets is essential for improving system efficacy. This research introduces a methodology for measuring coherence time utilizing an unbalanced fiber interferometer, specifically designed for tunable pulse-width photon wave packets produced by cold atoms. By synchronously generating write pulses, signal light, and frequency-locking light from a single laser source, the study effectively mitigated frequency discrepancies that typically arise from the use of multiple light sources. The implementation of frequency-resolved photon counting under phase-locked conditions was accomplished through the application of polarization filtering and cascaded filtering techniques. The experimental results indicated that the periodicity of frequency shifts in interference fringe patterns diminishes as the differences in delay arm lengths increase, while fluctuations in fiber length and high-frequency laser jitter adversely affect interference visibility. Through an analysis of the correlation between delay and photon counts, the coherence time of the write laser was determined to be 2.56 µs, whereas the Stokes photons produced through interactions with cold atoms exhibited a reduced coherence time of 1.23 µs. The findings suggest that enhancements in laser bandwidth compression and fiber phase stability could further prolong the coherence time of photon wave packets generated by cold atoms, thereby providing valuable technical support for high-fidelity quantum information processing.

Photonics•Apr 25, 2025•0 citations

Emission Spectroscopy of InGaAs Quantum Dots via High-resolution Fabry-Perot Interferometer

Raju Bhai KC

Single photons emitted from self-assembled quantum dots have been widely studied to use as a promising qubit for quantum information processing. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand the emission spectra from the quantum dot's excitation if we want to use a single photon as a quantum bit. It is almost impossible to produce rotationally symmetric quantum dots due to various growth conditions and restrictions. So the real quantum dots do not have a perfectly symmetric structure. A broken rotational symmetry causes an asymmetric exchange interaction between electron and hole, leading to a fine structure splitting between two excited states. The energy structure of a neutral InGaAs self-assembled quantum dot can be envisioned as a V-shaped energy diagram. A three-level V-system gives Mollow septuplets or Mollow quintuplets depending upon the frequency of the excitation laser. The main focus of this dissertation is to design a tunable optical filter to explore Mollow septuplets and Mollow quintuplets. A grating spectrometer cannot resolve an emission spectrum of a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) due to its limited resolution. Typical frequency separations between features in the emission spectrum of a typical InGaAs quantum dots are 2-10 GHz, while the best resolution available for a commercial spectrometer is about 9 GHz. The solution is to use a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) as a tunable optical filter. This technique demands precise control of the distance between the two FPI mirrors. One way to control the length of the FPI cavity is to use an optical feedback method to lock the cavity using a costly tunable, stabilized reference laser. Here we adopt an alternative approach that uses an inexpensive, single-frequency laser and spatial interference patterns to lock different interferometer designs. We mechanically connect the FPI cavity to a secondary cavity called a Shearing Interferometer (SI) that is actively stabilized by a simple and inexpensive optical feedback method.

•Jan 1, 2023•0 citations

Optimal filtering and generation of entangled photons for quantum applications in the presence of noise

Jordan M. Thomas, Andrew Cameron, Akil Pathiranage +6 more

Filtering is commonly used in quantum optics to reject noise photons, and also to enable interference between independent photons. However, filtering the joint spectrum of photon pairs can reduce the inherent coincidence probability or loss-independent heralding efficiency. Here we investigate filtering for multiphoton applications based on entanglement and interference (e.g., quantum teleportation). We multiplex C-band entangled photons and C-band classical communications into the same long-distance fibers, which enables scalable low-loss quantum networking but requires filtering of spontaneous Raman scattering noise from classical light. Using tunable-bandwidth filters, low-jitter detectors, and polarization filters, we distribute wavelength-degenerate time-bin entangled photons in the C band (1536.5 nm) over 25 km/25 km standard fibers (50 km) each carrying 10 Gbit/s C-band classical data signals. Narrow filtering enables milliwatt-level C-band power, which exceeds the power achieved by comparable studies by roughly an order of magnitude and could feasibly support terabit per second classical rates. We evaluate how performance depends on pump and filter bandwidths, multipair emission, filter shapes, loss, phase matching, and how quantum information is measured. We find a trade-off between reducing noise impact and increasing single-mode purity, and discuss mitigation methods toward optimal multiphoton applications. Importantly, these results apply to noise in free space and in quantum devices (sources, frequency converters, switches, detectors, etc.) and provide insight into filter-induced degradation of single-photon purity and rates even in noise-free environments.

arXiv:2510.06536•Physical Review Applied•Apr 15, 2026•2 citations
This study addresses the issue of cross-interference that occurs when locked continuous light and signal photons are collinear during interferometer measurements. To tackle this, a temperature-controlled Fabry–Pérot cavity filter with a heterogeneous cascaded structure is proposed and applied. The system consists of six filtering stages, created by designing Fabry–Pérot cavities of three different lengths, each used twice (to match optical frequencies), along with temperature control settings. By applying differentiated linewidth regulation, the approach effectively suppresses interference from locked light while significantly enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in photon detection. This method overcomes the challenge of interference from same-frequency noise photons in atomic ensemble-entangled sources, achieving a noise–photon extinction ratio on the order of 106 and surpassing the frequency resolution limit of a single filter. Experimental results demonstrate that the system reduces the noise floor in the detection optical path to below 10−16, while maintaining a photon transmission efficiency above 53% for the signal. This technology effectively addresses key challenges in noise suppression and photon state fidelity optimization in optical fiber quantum communication, offering a scalable frequency–photon noise filtering solution for long-distance quantum communication. Furthermore, its multi-parameter cooperative filtering mechanism holds broad potential applications in areas such as quantum storage and optical frequency combs.
Quantum optics experiments frequently require the separation of single-photon-level signals from strong classical fields. In circumstances in which the signals are spectrally close, and one cannot make use of relatively simple separation methods based around differences in polarization state, optical mode, or beam direction, it is necessary to exploit the frequency difference itself as the means for signal separation. We have constructed and characterized an efficient and robust fiber-based filter, consisting of an all-fiber Fabry-Perot resonator, to achieve this goal. Our filter shows 31dB of suppression of unwanted signals and 76% transmission of the desired signal. The transmission of the filter was stabilized to within 2% of its maximum for over 35hours through simple temperature stabilization.
Spectral filtering is essential in daytime quantum key distribution (QKD), which can suppress the strong background noise caused by scattered solar irradiation. An integrated Fabry-Perot filter is implemented based on a scheme that combines a Fabry-Perot etalon and a dense-wavelength-division-multiplex filter for narrow linewidth filtering and broad-spectrum noise suppression, respectively. This filter is integrated into a butterfly package with single-mode fibers for optical input and output, thereby enhancing high robustness and ease of use. The measurement results show that the filter has a linewidth of 25.6 pm, a noise suppression of over 44.7 dB ranging between 1380-1760 nm, an optical efficiency of 74.5% with variation less than 0.9% in 120 min, and a polarization fidelity after compensation exceeding 99.9%. The ability of fine-tuning the central wavelength with 9.5 pm/°C makes it very suitable for satellite-based applications under the Doppler effect. Further analysis is also given to demonstrate the prospects of applying this filter in future satellite-based daytime QKD applications.
We set up a long-term stable filtering system that consists of cascaded monolithic Fabry-Pérot filters to enhance the suppression and free spectral range. An effective free spectral range of hundreds of GHz allows the system to be used as a high resolution monochromator, with a linewidth of 192 MHz. As an important application a single mode is filtered from photon pairs generated by a parametric down-conversion source, and their indistinguishability is proven by measuring the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect with a visibility of 96%. We report that undesired birefringence, which is often encountered with monolithic cavities, can be avoided by stress-free mounting.
In the realm of quantum communication and photonic technologies, the extension of coherence time for photon wave packets is essential for improving system efficacy. This research introduces a methodology for measuring coherence time utilizing an unbalanced fiber interferometer, specifically designed for tunable pulse-width photon wave packets produced by cold atoms. By synchronously generating write pulses, signal light, and frequency-locking light from a single laser source, the study effectively mitigated frequency discrepancies that typically arise from the use of multiple light sources. The implementation of frequency-resolved photon counting under phase-locked conditions was accomplished through the application of polarization filtering and cascaded filtering techniques. The experimental results indicated that the periodicity of frequency shifts in interference fringe patterns diminishes as the differences in delay arm lengths increase, while fluctuations in fiber length and high-frequency laser jitter adversely affect interference visibility. Through an analysis of the correlation between delay and photon counts, the coherence time of the write laser was determined to be 2.56 µs, whereas the Stokes photons produced through interactions with cold atoms exhibited a reduced coherence time of 1.23 µs. The findings suggest that enhancements in laser bandwidth compression and fiber phase stability could further prolong the coherence time of photon wave packets generated by cold atoms, thereby providing valuable technical support for high-fidelity quantum information processing.
Single photons emitted from self-assembled quantum dots have been widely studied to use as a promising qubit for quantum information processing. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand the emission spectra from the quantum dot's excitation if we want to use a single photon as a quantum bit. It is almost impossible to produce rotationally symmetric quantum dots due to various growth conditions and restrictions. So the real quantum dots do not have a perfectly symmetric structure. A broken rotational symmetry causes an asymmetric exchange interaction between electron and hole, leading to a fine structure splitting between two excited states. The energy structure of a neutral InGaAs self-assembled quantum dot can be envisioned as a V-shaped energy diagram. A three-level V-system gives Mollow septuplets or Mollow quintuplets depending upon the frequency of the excitation laser. The main focus of this dissertation is to design a tunable optical filter to explore Mollow septuplets and Mollow quintuplets. A grating spectrometer cannot resolve an emission spectrum of a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) due to its limited resolution. Typical frequency separations between features in the emission spectrum of a typical InGaAs quantum dots are 2-10 GHz, while the best resolution available for a commercial spectrometer is about 9 GHz. The solution is to use a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) as a tunable optical filter. This technique demands precise control of the distance between the two FPI mirrors. One way to control the length of the FPI cavity is to use an optical feedback method to lock the cavity using a costly tunable, stabilized reference laser. Here we adopt an alternative approach that uses an inexpensive, single-frequency laser and spatial interference patterns to lock different interferometer designs. We mechanically connect the FPI cavity to a secondary cavity called a Shearing Interferometer (SI) that is actively stabilized by a simple and inexpensive optical feedback method.
Filtering is commonly used in quantum optics to reject noise photons, and also to enable interference between independent photons. However, filtering the joint spectrum of photon pairs can reduce the inherent coincidence probability or loss-independent heralding efficiency. Here we investigate filtering for multiphoton applications based on entanglement and interference (e.g., quantum teleportation). We multiplex C-band entangled photons and C-band classical communications into the same long-distance fibers, which enables scalable low-loss quantum networking but requires filtering of spontaneous Raman scattering noise from classical light. Using tunable-bandwidth filters, low-jitter detectors, and polarization filters, we distribute wavelength-degenerate time-bin entangled photons in the C band (1536.5 nm) over 25 km/25 km standard fibers (50 km) each carrying 10 Gbit/s C-band classical data signals. Narrow filtering enables milliwatt-level C-band power, which exceeds the power achieved by comparable studies by roughly an order of magnitude and could feasibly support terabit per second classical rates. We evaluate how performance depends on pump and filter bandwidths, multipair emission, filter shapes, loss, phase matching, and how quantum information is measured. We find a trade-off between reducing noise impact and increasing single-mode purity, and discuss mitigation methods toward optimal multiphoton applications. Importantly, these results apply to noise in free space and in quantum devices (sources, frequency converters, switches, detectors, etc.) and provide insight into filter-induced degradation of single-photon purity and rates even in noise-free environments.