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On-chip, photon-number-resolving, telecommunication-band detectors for scalable photonic information processing

Published

Author(s)

Thomas Gerrits, Nick Thomas-Peter, James Gates, Adriana E. Lita, Benjamin Metcalf, Brice R. Calkins, Nathan A. Tomlin, Anna E. Fox, Antia A. Lamas-Linares, Justin Spring, Nathan Langford, Richard P. Mirin, Peter Smith, Ian Walmsley, Sae Woo Nam

Abstract

Integration is currently the only feasible route towards scalable photonic quantum processing devices which are sufficiently complex to be genuinely useful in computing, metrology, and simulation. Embedded on-chip detection will be critical to such devices. We demonstrate an integrated photon-number resolving detector, operating in the telecom band at 1550 nm, employing an evanescently coupled design which allows it to be placed at arbitrary locations within a planar circuit. Up to 5 photons are resolved in the guided optical mode via absorption from the evanescent field into a Tungsten transition-edge sensor with 7.2 ± % efficiency. The polarization sensitivity of the detector is also demonstrated. Detailed modeling of device designs shows a clear and feasible route to reaching high detection efficiencies.
Citation
Science Magazine
Volume
84
Issue
6

Keywords

optical waveguides, single photon detectors, quantum information

Citation

Gerrits, T. , Thomas-Peter, N. , Gates, J. , Lita, A. , Metcalf, B. , Calkins, B. , Tomlin, N. , Fox, A. , Lamas-Linares, A. , Spring, J. , Langford, N. , Mirin, R. , Smith, P. , Walmsley, I. and Nam, S. (2011), On-chip, photon-number-resolving, telecommunication-band detectors for scalable photonic information processing, Science Magazine, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.84.060301 (Accessed November 13, 2024)

Issues

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Created December 5, 2011, Updated November 10, 2018