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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Pacific Rim (CLEO-PR)

Mid-Infrared Single-Photon Sources: The Potential of Zblan Glass Optical Fibers

Shruti Jain, Deepak Jain

Published Aug 4, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report novel ZBLAN fibers exploiting SpFWM, generating single-photons in the 3 to$4 \mu\ \mathrm{m}$range. The phase-matching condition can be fulfilled by choosing suitable spatial mode profiles for signal, pump, and idler wavelengths.

DOI
10.1109/cleo-pr60912.2024.11282101

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We report novel ZBLAN fibers exploiting SpFWM, generating single-photons in the 3 to4μ m4 \mu\ \mathrm{m}4μ mrange. The phase-matching condition can be fulfilled by choosing suitable spatial mode profiles for signal, pump, and idler wavelengths.
Near-infrared (NIR) single-photon sources have become the backbone of quantum technology. There is further potential to demonstrate the next-generation quantum technology applications by extending the wavelengths to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) region. This interest is driven by the extraordinary characteristics of the mid-IR wavelength spectrum. In this paper, we propose germania-doped and ZBLAN fibers that exploit spontaneous four-wave mixing (SpFWM) to generate a single photon-pair in the ∼2 µm to ∼3.5 µm wavelength range. The phase-matching conditions at different wavelengths can be achieved by employing both the same-mode and mixed-mode schemes (intra and intermodal) for the idler, pump, and signal wavelengths. For the intramodal scheme, we exploited the fiber’s high NA to produce closely spaced non-degenerate modes (such as LP 11a /LP 11b and LP 21a /LP 21b ) and then used combinations of these modes (from LP 11a to LP 11b or LP 21a to LP 21b ) for all three signal, pump, and idler wavelengths to achieve the phase-matching. For the intermodal scheme, we borrowed different modes for the signal, pump (including different modes for both pump photons), and idler wavelengths. The mixed-mode schemes allow for a larger core and provide greater flexibility in tuning the idler and signal wavelengths to mitigate the effects of Raman scattering and residual pump photons (∼20–25 THz from the pump frequency), albeit with increased complexity and reduced efficiency. We developed an understanding of the mixed-mode phase-matching scheme and built a model to optimize mode selection for phase-matching. Our investigations reveal, for the first time, the untapped potential of fiber-based mid-IR entangled single photon-pair generation.
The generation of single photons in the near-infrared range with a wavelength of 1533 nm is demonstrated. The generation is performed in an optical fiber using continuous-wave laser excitation and a heralding photon in the visible range with a wavelength of 520 nm. Despite relatively high pump powers and a significant contribution of noise photons, the presented source provides a high degree of single-photon generation purity ( gc(2)(0)=0.04){\text{g}}_{{\text{c}}}^{{\left( 2 \right)}}\left( 0 \right) = 0.04)gc(2)​(0)=0.04) . This work reveals the potential for creating compact fiber-optic sources of single infrared photons using continuous-wave laser sources.
Single-photon creation through parametric downconversion underpins quantum technology for quantum sensing and imaging. Here we numerically study the creation of single photons in the near- and mid-infrared regime from 1.5 - 12 um in a range of novel nonlinear semiconductor and chalcopyrite materials. We identify phase-matching conditions and single out regimes in which group-velocity matching can be achieved with commercially available pump lasers. Finally, we discuss how mid-infrared single photons can be detected. Using our numerical results, we identify materials and pump lasers for up-conversion detection in conventional wavelength bands. Our study provides a complete recipe for mid-IR single-photon generation and detection, opening up quantum enhancements for mid-IR applications such as bio-medical imaging, communication, and remote sensing.