Compact tunable high-efficiency entangled photon source

Abstract

A compact, tunable, high-efficiency entangled photon source system that utilizes first and second periodically poled waveguides rather than bulk media in order to decrease the required pump power by up to several orders of magnitude. The first and second waveguides are arranged in respective arms of an interferometer. Each waveguide has partially reflecting ends, and are each placed on the Z-face of respective periodically poled KTP or LiNBO3 crystals to form respective first and second Fabry-Perot cavities. All waves (pump, idler, and signal) are co-polarized along the z-axis of the crystals. One of the waveguides is followed by a polarization rotator (shown as a half-wave-plate in the Figures) rotating the idler and signal wave polarization by 90 degrees. The outputs from two interferometer arms are combined by a polarization beam combiner and then split by a wavelength multiplexer into two spatially separated time-bin and polarization entangled beams. Another light source, a single frequency stabilized C-band laser (stabilization laser) is used to synchronize cavities spectral modes and phase-lock their outputs.