Two-photon quantum interference and entanglement at 2.1 μm (original) (raw)

Near-Maximal Two-Photon Entanglement for Optical Quantum Communication at 2.1μm

Physical Review Applied, 2021

Owing to a reduced solar background and low propagation losses in the atmosphere, the 2-to 2.5μm waveband is a promising candidate for daylight quantum communication. This spectral region also offers low losses and low dispersion in hollow-core fibers and in silicon waveguides. We demonstrate near-maximally entangled photon pairs at 2.1 μm that could support device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD), assuming sufficiently high channel efficiencies. The state corresponds to a positive secure-key rate (0.254 bits/pair, with a quantum bit error rate of 3.8%) based on measurements in a laboratory setting with minimal channel loss and transmission distance. This is promising for the future implementation of DIQKD at 2.1 μm.

Two-photon interference between disparate sources for quantum networking

Quantum networks involve entanglement sharing between multiple users. Ideally, any two users would be able to connect regardless of the type of photon source they employ, provided they fulfill the requirements for two-photon interference. From a theoretical perspective, photons coming from different origins can interfere with a perfect visibility, provided they are made indistinguishable in all degrees of freedom. Previous experimental demonstrations of such a scenario have been limited to photon wavelengths below 900 nm, unsuitable for long distance communication, and suffered from low interference visibility. We report two-photon interference using two disparate heralded single photon sources, which involve different nonlinear effects, operating in the telecom wavelength range. The measured visibility of the two-photon interference is 80 6 4%, which paves the way to hybrid universal quantum networks.

Towards high-fidelity two-photon quantum communications

Fortschritte der Physik, 2003

We propose two alternative scheme for highly efficient nonlinear interaction between weak optical fields. The first scheme is based on the attainment of electromagnetically induced transparency simultaneously for two fields via transitions between magnetically split F = 1 atomic sublevels, in the presence of two driving fields. The second scheme relies on simultaneous electromagnetically-and self-induced transparencies of the two fields. Thereby, equal slow group velocities and giant cross-phase modulation of the weak fields over long distances are achieved.

Atmospheric continuous-variable quantum communication

New Journal of Physics, 2014

We present a quantum communication experiment conducted over a point-to-point free-space link of 1.6 km in urban conditions. We study atmospheric influences on the capability of the link to act as a continuous-variable (CV) quantum channel. Continuous polarization states (that contain the signal encoding as well as a local oscillator in the same spatial mode) are prepared and sent over the link in a polarization multiplexed setting. Both signal and local oscillator undergo the same atmospheric fluctuations. These are intrinsically auto-compensated which removes detrimental influences on the interferometric visibility. At the receiver, we measure the Q-function and interpret the data using the framework of effective entanglement. We compare different state amplitudes and alphabets (two-state and four-state) and determine their optimal working points with respect to the distributed effective entanglement. Based on the high entanglement transmission rates achieved, our system indicates the high potential of atmospheric links in the field of CV QKD.

Entanglement-based quantum communication over 144 km

Nature Physics, 2007

Quantum entanglement is the main resource to endow the field of quantum information processing with powers that exceed those of classical communication and computation. In view of applications such as quantum cryptography or quantum teleportation, extension of quantum-entanglement-based protocols to global distances is of considerable practical interest. Here we experimentally demonstrate entanglement-based quantum key distribution over 144 km. One photon is measured locally at the Canary Island of La Palma, whereas the other is sent over an optical free-space link to Tenerife, where the Optical Ground Station of the European Space Agency acts as the receiver. This exceeds previous free-space experiments by more than an order of magnitude in distance, and is an essential step towards future satellite-based quantum communication and experimental tests on quantum physics in space.

Distributing entanglement and single photons through an intra-city, free-space quantum channel

Optics Express, 2005

We have distributed entangled photons directly through the atmosphere to a receiver station 7.8 km away over the city of Vienna, Austria at night. Detection of one photon from our entangled pairs constitutes a triggered single photon source from the sender. With no direct time-stable connection, the two stations found coincidence counts in the detection events by calculating the cross-correlation of locally-recorded time stamps shared over a public internet channel. For this experiment, our quantum channel was maintained for a total of 40 minutes during which time a coincidence lock found approximately 60000 coincident detection events. The polarization correlations in those events yielded a Bell parameter, S=2.27±0.019, which violates the CHSH-Bell inequality by 14 standard deviations. This result is promising for entanglement-based freespace quantum communication in high-density urban areas. It is also encouraging for optical quantum communication between ground stations and satellites since the length of our free-space link exceeds the atmospheric equivalent.

Free-space distribution of entanglement and single photons over 144 km

. Bell's discovery , that correlations measured on entangled quantum systems are at variance with a local realistic picture led to a flurry of experiments confirming the quantum predictions. However, it is still experimentally undecided whether quantum entanglement can survive global distances, as predicted by quantum theory. Here we report the violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality [25] measured by two observers separated by 144 km between the Canary Islands of La Palma and Tenerife via an optical free-space link using the Optical Ground Station (OGS) of the European Space Agency (ESA). . Furthermore we used the entangled pairs to generate a quantum cryptographic key under experimental conditions and constraints characteristic for a Space-to-ground experiment. The distance in our experiment exceeds all previous free-space experiments by more than one order of magnitude and exploits the limit for ground-based free-space communication; significantly longer distances can only be reached using air-or space-based platforms. The range achieved thereby demonstrates the feasibility of quantum communication in space, involving satellites or the International Space Station (ISS).

Numerical Characterization of Atmospheric Effects on an Earth–Space Quantum Communication Channel

International Journal of Quantum Information, 2007

Quantum communication in free space is the next challenge of telecommunications. Since we want to determine the outcome of a quantum communication by means of single photons, we must understand how a single photon interacts with the atmosphere. In this brief article, some simulation results for realistic and generic atmospheric conditions are reported and discussed.

Experimental Two‐Way Communication with One Photon

Advanced Quantum Technologies, 2019

Superposition of two or more states is one of the fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics and provides the basis for several advantages offered by quantum information processing. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that quantum superposition allows for two-way communication between two distant parties that can exchange only one particle once, an impossible task in classical physics. This is achieved by preparing a single photon in a coherent superposition of the two parties' locations. Furthermore, we show that this concept allows the parties to perform secure and anonymous quantum communication employing one particle per transmitted bit. These important features can lead to the realization of new quantum communication schemes, which are simultaneously anonymous, secure and resource-efficient.