Efficient Narrowband Entangled Photon Sources for Interfacing with Quantum Memory

Scalable, long-distance quantum networking will require quantum repeaters, and quantum memories are an essential component of scalable quantum repeaters. This Phase I STTR will work to develop a photon pair source with sufficiently narrow photon pair generation enabling efficient interfacing to a Silicon vacancy (SiV) center quantum memory. The bandwidths of the downconverted photons are much broader (> 100GHz) than required for efficient interfacing to quantum memories (< 1GHz). SPDC photon spectra can be efficiently narrowed by cavity enhancement. We propose the development of a commercial source of cavity enhanced SPDC using a monolithic waveguide chip as the cavity itself. This combines the benefits of waveguide-based SPDC and cavity-enhancement without the need for external optics, resulting in stable and efficient operation.

Quantum Memories Quantum Sensors Quantum Networking This technology would benefit NASA communications infrastructure as well as enable new capabilities that support its core missions. It could have direct impact to quantum memory work being pursued at NASA Glenn Research Center. Spectrally narrow-band entangled photon pair sources would be of general use in many areas of quantum information science; essentially any application that makes use of SPDC based entangled photon sources may benefit from the increased temporal bandwidth (narrowed spectral bandwidth) offered by this technology. While we are pursuing the application to SiV memory, we anticipate that the techniques developed during this program can then be applied to devices of varying wavelengths, polarizations, substrates, and end-use applications including quantum memories, quantum sensors, and single-photon modulation schemes.

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