ERI: Study of quantum entanglement and spatially different photon pair generation through intermodal four-wave mixing in few-mode and multimode fibers

ERI：通过少模和多模光纤中的模间四波混频研究量子纠缠和空间不同的光子对生成

• 批准号: 2301870
• 负责人: Mina Esmaeelpour
• 金额: $ 19.99万
• 依托单位: Missouri University of Science and Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2025-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301870&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ERI; Study; quantum; entanglement; spatially

Substantial efforts are underway to expand the capacity of telecommunication systems utilizing spatial division multiplexing (SDM) as the demand for secure quantum communication systems combined with optical communication systems continues to grow. Propagating quantum states of light through current optical communication networks or future SDM systems can fulfill this demand and meet the essential consumer requirements for secure communication. The overarching aim of this research is to advance this objective through the Production and transmission of entangled photons over optical fibers. In the past, entangled photon pairs were created using bulk periodically poled crystals and waveguides utilizing their second-order nonlinearity. However, this method results in additional loss from fiber coupling and suffers from low photon yield at telecommunication bandwidths. The generation and transmission of entangled photons through optical fibers are desirable for a variety of applications. Nevertheless, the current approaches pose several challenges, including complexity, limited data generation, reliance on bulky and high-powered pulsed lasers, and the introduction of quantum noise. This study proposes the utilization of various modes of few-mode and multimode fibers to produce a pair of entangled photons, which will provide improved control over entanglement properties and better integration with SDM systems. This approach is expected to alleviate the challenges mentioned earlier. As part of the research and education integration, a graduate student working on this project will receive training in nonlinear fiber optics and quantum laser sources. Furthermore, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to participate in various stages of the project through research credits and summer internships in order to spark their interest in fiber-optic research at Missouri S&T, which is a minority-serving university.The proposed research aims to investigate the impact of intermodal nonlinearities on quantum entanglement in few-mode and multimode fibers. This project is both significant and innovative in that it will employ intermodal nonlinearities to generate and transmit quantum channels across various spatial modes within such fibers. By employing pumps in two different modes of the fiber, spontaneous four-wave mixing nonlinear effect generates an entangled photon pair each of which are in a different spatial mode traveling in different channels. The project seeks to establish theoretical and experimental platforms to investigate the underlying mechanisms of such intermodal entangled mode generation. These platforms will be utilized to examine the basic processes of such intermodal entanglement in fibers. Subsequent quantum correlation experiments will be performed to characterize the generated photon pairs quantum states. By directly generating entangled photon pairs in fiber, the coupling loss will be eliminated and by the choice of fiber and the pump wavelengths, the Raman scattering noise can be avoided. The primary objective is to improve quantum communication over fiber by utilizing intermodal quantum entanglement in few-mode and multimode fibers and could have a transformative impact on quantum communication and sensing utilizing SDM-compatible fibers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

随着对安全量子通信系统与光通信系统相结合的需求持续增长，人们正在大力努力扩大利用空分复用（SDM）的电信系统的容量。通过当前的光通信网络或未来的SDM系统传播光的量子态可以满足这一需求并满足消费者对安全通信的基本要求。这项研究的首要目标是通过光纤上纠缠光子的产生和传输来推进这一目标。过去，纠缠光子对是使用体周期性极化晶体和波导利用其二阶非线性来创建的。然而，这种方法会因光纤耦合而产生额外的损耗，并且在电信带宽下光子产量较低。通过光纤产生和传输纠缠光子对于多种应用来说都是理想的。然而，当前的方法提出了一些挑战，包括复杂性、有限的数据生成、对笨重和高功率脉冲激光器的依赖以及量子噪声的引入。这项研究提出利用各种模式的少模和多模光纤来产生一对纠缠光子，这将改善对纠缠特性的控制并更好地与 SDM 系统集成。这种方法有望缓解前面提到的挑战。作为研究和教育一体化的一部分，从事该项目的研究生将接受非线性光纤和量子激光源的培训。此外，本科生将有机会通过研究学分和暑期实习参与该项目的各个阶段，以激发他们对密苏里科技大学光纤研究的兴趣，该大学是一所少数族裔服务的大学。拟议的研究旨在研究模间非线性对少模和多模光纤中量子纠缠的影响。该项目既重要又具有创新性，因为它将利用模间非线性在此类光纤内的各种空间模式上生成和传输量子通道。通过在光纤的两种不同模式中使用泵，自发四波混合非线性效应产生纠缠光子对，每个光子对都处于不同的空间模式，在不同的通道中传播。该项目旨在建立理论和实验平台来研究这种多式联运纠缠模式生成的潜在机制。这些平台将用于检查纤维中这种多式联运缠结的基本过程。随后将进行量子相关实验来表征生成的光子对量子态。通过直接在光纤中产生纠缠光子对，可以消除耦合损耗，并且通过选择光纤和泵浦波长，可以避免拉曼散射噪声。主要目标是通过利用少模和多模光纤中的多模量子纠缠来改善光纤量子通信，并可能对利用 SDM 兼容光纤的量子通信和传感产生变革性影响。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来获得支持。