Qubits without qubits.

Light-based platforms for quantum computing do not require physical qubits.

A squeezed quantum microcomb on a chip.

The optical microresonator-based frequency comb (microcomb) provides a versatile platform for nonlinear physics studies and has wide applications ranging from metrology to spectroscopy. The deterministic quantum regime is an unexplored aspect of microcombs, in which unconditional entanglements among hundreds of equidistant frequency modes can serve as critical ingredients to scalable universal quantum computing and quantum networking. Here, we demonstrate a deterministic quantum microcomb in a silica microresonator on a silicon chip. 40 continuous-variable quantum modes, in the form of 20 simultaneously two-mode squeezed comb pairs, are observed within 1 THz optical span at telecommunication wavelengths. A maximum raw squeezing of 1.6 dB is attained. A high-resolution spectroscopy measurement is developed to characterize the frequency equidistance of quantum microcombs. Our demonstration offers the possibility to leverage deterministically generated, frequency multiplexed quantum states and integrated photonics to open up new avenues in fields of spectroscopy, quantum metrology, and scalable, continuous-variable-based quantum information processing.

Photon-number-resolving segmented detectors based on single-photon avalanche-photodiodes.

We investigate the feasibility and performance of photon-number-resolved photodetection employing single-photon avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) with low dark counts. While the main idea, to split n photons into m detection modes with a vanishing probability of more than one photon per mode, is not new, we investigate here a important variant of this situation where SPADs are side-coupled to the same waveguide rather than terminally coupled to a propagation tree. This prevents the nonideal SPAD quantum efficiency from contributing to photon loss. We propose a concrete SPAD segmented waveguide detector based on a vertical directional coupler design, and characterize its performance by evaluating the purities of Positive-Operator-Valued Measures (POVMs) in terms of number of SPADs, photon loss, dark counts, and electrical cross-talk.

Experimental realization of multipartite entanglement of 60 modes of a quantum optical frequency comb.

We report the experimental realization and characterization of one 60-mode copy and of two 30-mode copies of a dual-rail quantum-wire cluster state in the quantum optical frequency comb of a bimodally pumped optical parametric oscillator. This is the largest entangled system ever created whose subsystems are all available simultaneously. The entanglement proceeds from the coherent concatenation of a multitude of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen pairs by a single beam splitter, a procedure which is also a building block for the realization of hypercubic-lattice cluster states for universal quantum computing.

Parallel generation of quadripartite cluster entanglement in the optical frequency comb.

Scalability and coherence are two essential requirements for the experimental implementation of quantum information and quantum computing. Here, we report a breakthrough toward scalability: the simultaneous generation of a record 15 quadripartite entangled cluster states over 60 consecutive cavity modes (Q modes), in the optical frequency comb of a single optical parametric oscillator. The amount of observed entanglement was constant over the 60 Q modes, thereby proving the intrinsic scalability of this system. The number of observable Q modes was restricted by technical limitations, and we conservatively estimate the actual number of similar clusters to be at least 3 times larger. This result paves the way to the realization of large entangled states for scalable quantum information and quantum computing.

Quasi-phase-matched concurrent nonlinearities in periodically poled KTiOPO(4) for quantum computing over the optical frequency comb.

We report the successful design and experimental implementation of three coincident nonlinear interactions, namely ZZZ (type 0), ZYY (type I), and YYZ/YZY (type II) second-harmonic generation of 780 nm light from a 1560 nm pump beam in a single, multigrating, periodically poled KTiOPO(4) crystal. The resulting nonlinear medium is the key component for making a scalable quantum computer over the optical frequency comb of a single optical parametric oscillator.

A new method for locking the signal-field phase difference in a type-II optical parametric oscillator above threshold.

We propose and demonstrate a new method for phaselocking the signal fields emitted above threshold by a nondegenerate, type-II optical parametric oscillator (OPO). This method is based on the observation that amplitude modulation of the pump beam produces a related modulation of the frequency difference of the OPO signals via the temperature-tuning of the index of refraction in the nonlinear crystal. We successfully use pump modulation as a correction for phase-difference locking of the OPO signals and observe a 1 kHz beat note stable over more than 10 s, both figures solely limited by the measurement time. This method eliminates the need for applying electronic phase-correction signals directly to the nonlinear crystal which caused crystal damage in a previous phaselocking technique.

Broadband amplitude squeezing in a periodically poled KTiOPO4 waveguide.

We generated -2.2 dB of broadband amplitude squeezing at 1064 nm in a periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP) waveguide by coupling of the fundamental and second-harmonic cw fields. This is the largest amount of squeezing obtained to date in a KTP waveguide, limited by propagation losses. This result paves the way for further improvements by use of lower-loss buried ion-exchanged waveguides.

One-way quantum computing in the optical frequency comb.

One-way quantum computing allows any quantum algorithm to be implemented easily using just measurements. The difficult part is creating the universal resource, a cluster state, on which the measurements are made. We propose a scalable method that uses a single, multimode optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The method is very efficient and generates a continuous-variable cluster state, universal for quantum computation, with quantum information encoded in the quadratures of the optical frequency comb of the OPO.

Observation of triply coincident nonlinearities in periodically poled KTiOPO4.

We report the simultaneous quasi-phase-matching of all three possible nonlinearities for propagation along the X axis of periodically poled (PP) KTiOPO4 (KTP) for second-harmonic generation of 745 nm pulsed light from 1490 nm subpicosecond pulses in a PPKTP crystal with a 45.65 microm poling period. This confirms the recent Sellmeier fits for KTP by Kato and Takaoka [Appl. Opt. 41, 5040 (2002)]. Such coincident nonlinearities are of importance for realizing compact sources of multipartite continuous-variable entanglement [Pfister et al., Phys. Rev. A 70, 020302 (2004)], and we propose a new simpler method for entangling four fields on the basis of this triple coincidence.

Sub-shot-noise heterodyne polarimetry.

We report an experimental demonstration of a heterodyne polarization rotation measurement with a noise floor 4.8 dB below the optical shot noise by use of classically phase-locked quantum twin beams emitted above threshold by an ultrastable type II Na:KTP cw optical parametric oscillator. We believe that this is the largest noise reduction achieved to date in optical phase-difference measurements.

Quantum interference of ultrastable twin optical beams.

We report the first measurement of the quantum phase-difference noise of an ultrastable nondegenerate optical parametric oscillator that emits twin beams classically phase locked at exact frequency degeneracy. The measurement illustrates the property of a lossless balanced beam splitter to convert number-difference squeezing into phase-difference squeezing, and thus provides indirect evidence for Heisenberg-limited interferometry using twin beams. This experiment is a generalization of the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect for continuous variables and constitutes a milestone towards continuous-variable entanglement of bright, ultrastable nondegenerate beams.