New results on single-photon up-conversion

Aaron P. VanDevender, Paul G. Kwiat

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

The process of up-conversion is shown to enable superior single-photon detectors in the infrared, compared to InGaAs and germanium Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) (normally used for IR single photon detection). After up-converting an infrared photon to a visible one in a non-linear crystal-Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN)-we use a silicon APD to efficiently detect the frequency up-shifted IR photon. We have demonstrated this process at the "high-intensity" level and at the single-photon level, where the up-converted state is effectively a superposition of the single photon Fock state and the vacuum state. We achieve an 80% conversion efficiency over the width of the pulse, and show that this process is coherent, a necessary ingredient for many applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number10
Pages (from-to)169-176
Number of pages8
JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume5551
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
EventQuantum Communications and Quantum Imaging II - Denver, CO, United States
Duration: Aug 4 2004Aug 6 2004

Keywords

  • Quantum Cryptography
  • Quantum Information
  • Single Photon Detection
  • Up-Conversion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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