Title :
All-fiber photon-pair source for quantum communications
Author :
Fiorentino, Marco ; Voss, Paul L. ; Sharping, Jay E. ; Kumar, Prem
Author_Institution :
ECE Dept, Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL, USA
fDate :
7/1/2002 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
In this letter, we present a source of quantum-correlated photon pairs based on parametric fluorescence in a fiber Sagnac loop. The photon pairs are generated in the 1550-nm fiber-optic communication band and detected with InGaAs-InP avalanche photodiodes operating in a gated Geiger mode. A generation rate > 10/sup 3/ pairs/s is observed, which is limited by the detection electronics at present. We also demonstrate the nonclassical nature of the photon correlations in the pairs. This source, given its spectral properties and robustness, is well suited for use in fiber-optic quantum communication and cryptography networks.
Keywords :
avalanche photodiodes; fluorescence; light interferometers; multiwave mixing; optical fibres; optical parametric amplifiers; quantum communication; quantum cryptography; quantum optics; 1550 nm; InGaAs-InP; InGaAs-InP avalanche photodiodes; all-fiber photon-pair source; fiber Sagnac loop; fiber four-wave mixing; fiber-optic communication band; fiber-optic quantum communication; gated Geiger mode; generation rate; nonclassical photon correlations; nonlinear-fiber Sagnac interferometer; parametric amplifiers; parametric fluorescence; photon counting; quantum communications; quantum cryptography networks; quantum-correlated photon pairs; spectral properties; Cryptography; Flexible printed circuits; Fluorescence; Four-wave mixing; Frequency; Optical fiber communication; Optical fiber couplers; Optical fiber polarization; Pulse amplifiers; Sagnac interferometers;
Journal_Title :
Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/LPT.2002.1012406
