EFRI ACQUIRE: An Integrated Quantum Communication Transmission Node

标题：一种用于远距离量子通信的半导体-金刚石纳米光子发射机非技术描述：量子通信从根本上是安全的。目前，由于光纤中的光子吸收，量子保密通信距离被限制在100公里以内。理论上，这种限制可以通过依赖于通信节点之间的纠缠的量子中继器网络来克服。实验量子通信社区主要关注单个设备的更高性能指标。因此，利用物理上庞大、昂贵且在低温下不可扩展的技术，实现了展示量子技术在安全通信方面潜力的原理验证实验。关键问题仍然是，利用量子中继器的远程通信能否在可扩展的平台上实现。为了实现这一目标，这项工作采用了两种变革性的方法。首先，采用了一个集成的混合材料平台，它有可能实现量子发射器所需的所有设备功能。其次，利用最先进的计算技术来设计具有前所未有的非线性能力的光子器件，在与半导体制造工艺兼容的约束下实现所需的性能。特别是，紧凑型设备旨在有效地提取钻石缺陷发出的光子；然后，提取的光子被路由到一个非线性设备，该设备高效地将它们转换为电信波长；最后，光子被耦合到光纤中，进行低损耗的长距离传输。由于改进的非线性光学和可重构器件，为实现这一目标而设计的技术预计也将促进光学信息处理和传感的当前状态。多元化的研究团队将培训下一代光电子工程师的技能，包括纳米光子设计、纳米制造、光学光谱学，以及未来光电子行业的集成量子技术。从大学前到博士后的各级招聘将侧重于扩大参与，通过直接融入科学团队以及外联努力，进一步让女性、代表性不足的少数群体和退伍军人融入科学团队，包括拟议的EFRI-REM住宿计划和科学咖啡馆S，以吸引调查人员？光和量子通信领域的本地社区。技术描述：这项提议寻求实现一种光子集成电路，用于在电信波长产生和传输不可区分的自旋纠缠光子。自旋纠缠光子从钻石颜色中心的发射将通过波导耦合的共振等离子体装置来增强，从而提供了一条在高温下工作的途径。这些光子将被光谱过滤，并通过光交换网络动态发送到集成的量子频率转换器。产生的电信波长的单光子将在芯片外耦合到光缆之前进一步过滤。谐振增强和非线性频率转换器件的设计将通过一种新的基于拓扑优化的逆设计方法来执行，该方法最近才变得容易处理，具有可用的计算资源。确定了几个关键途径来缓解不可避免的设备不一致性，并增强可扩展性的前景。非线性频率转换将同时进行频率转换和量子纠缠所需的光谱路径擦除。可调谐环形谐振器同时提供滤波和布线功能。在短期内，量子通信发射机的实现将需要前所未有的量子光学、纳米光子学、等离子体学和非线性光学的集成。从长远来看，这项拟议的技术有可能实现远距离、基于光纤的无条件安全通信。

Title: A semiconductor-diamond nanophotonic transmitter for long-distance quantum communication Nontechnical description: Quantum communication is fundamentally secure. Currently, quantum-secure communication distance is limited to less than 100 km by photon absorption in fibers. Theoretically, this limitation can be overcome by a network of quantum repeaters relying on entanglement between communication nodes. The experimental quantum communication community has primarily focused on higher performance metrics for a single device. As a result, proof-of-principle experiments illustrating the potential of quantum technologies for secure communication have been realized utilizing physically large, expensive, and non-scalable technologies at cryogenic temperatures. The critical question remains whether long-distance communication, utilizing quantum repeaters, can be realized in a scalable platform. To reach this goal, this work employs two transformative approaches. First, an integrated hybrid-materials platform that has the potential to realize all device functionalities required for a quantum transmitter is adopted. Second, state-of-the-art computational techniques are utilized to design photonic devices that exhibit unprecedented nonlinear capabilities, enabling the desired performance under the constraints of compatibility with semiconductor fabrication processing. In particular, compact devices are designed to efficiently extract photons emitted by a defect in diamond; the extracted photons are then routed into a nonlinear device that efficiently converts them to telecom wavelengths; finally, the photons are coupled into an optical fiber for low-loss, long-distance propagation. The technologies engineered to reach this goal are expected to also advance the current state of optical information processing and sensing, due to improved nonlinear optical and reconfigurable devices. The diverse team of investigators will train the next generation of photonics engineers in skills including nanophotonic design, nanofabrication, optical spectroscopy, and integrated quantum technologies for tomorrow's optoelectronics industry. Recruitment at all levels, from pre-college to postdoctoral, will have a focus on broadening participation to further integrate women, underrepresented minorities and veterans through direct integration into the scientific team as well as outreach efforts including a proposed EFRI-REM residential program and Science Cafés to engage the investigators? local communities in the fields of optical and quantum communication.Technical description: This proposal seeks to realize a photonic integrated circuit for creating and transmitting indistinguishable spin-entangled photons at telecom wavelength. Emission of spin-entangled photons from diamond color centers will be enhanced by a waveguide-coupled resonant plasmonic device, providing an avenue toward operation at elevated temperature. These photons will be spectrally filtered and dynamically routed via an optical switching network to an integrated quantum frequency converter. The resulting telecom-wavelength single photons will be further filtered before off-chip coupling to a fiber-optic cable. The design of the resonant enhancement and nonlinear frequency conversion devices will be performed by a novel inverse-design method based on topology optimization that has only recently become tractable with available computation resources. Several key avenues are identified to mitigate against unavoidable device inhomogeneities and enhance the prospects for scalability. Nonlinear frequency conversion will simultaneously perform frequency conversion and spectral which-path erasure necessary for quantum entanglement. Tunable ring resonators simultaneously provide filtering and routing capabilities. In the short-term, realization of the quantum communication transmitter will require unprecedented integration of quantum optics, nanophotonics, plasmonics, and nonlinear optics. In the long-term, the proposed technology has the potential to enable long-distance, fiber-based, unconditionally secure communication.