EFRI ACQUIRE: An Integrated Quantum Communication Transmission Node

职务名称：一种用于长距离量子通信的金刚石纳米光子发射器非技术描述：量子通信从根本上讲是安全的。 目前，量子安全通信距离被光纤中的光子吸收限制在100 km以内。从理论上讲，这种限制可以通过依赖于通信节点之间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，说明量子技术用于安全通信的潜力的原理验证实验已经在低温下利用物理上庞大、昂贵且不可扩展的技术实现。关键问题仍然是，利用量子中继器的长距离通信是否可以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，采用了一种集成的混合材料平台，该平台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光子器件，这些光子器件表现出前所未有的非线性能力，从而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，紧凑的设备被设计为有效地提取由钻石中的缺陷发射的光子;然后将提取的光子路由到非线性设备中，该非线性设备将其有效地转换为电信波长;最后，光子耦合到光纤中以进行低损耗、长距离传播。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推动光学信息处理和传感的现状。多元化的研究团队将培训下一代光子工程师的技能，包括纳米光子设计，纳米纤维，光谱学和集成量子技术，为未来的光电子行业。从大学预科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工作，包括拟议的EFRI-REM住宅计划和科学咖啡馆，进一步整合妇女，代表性不足的少数民族和退伍军人，以吸引调查人员？技术说明：本提案寻求实现光子集成电路，用于在电信波长处产生和传输不可区分的自旋纠缠光子。从钻石色心的自旋纠缠光子的发射将通过波导耦合共振等离子体激元器件来增强，从而提供在高温下操作的途径。这些光子将被光谱过滤，并通过光开关网络动态路由到集成的量子频率转换器。在芯片外耦合到光纤电缆之前，所产生的电信波长单光子将被进一步过滤。谐振增强和非线性频率转换装置的设计将通过基于拓扑优化的新型逆设计方法来进行，该方法最近才变得易于处理，具有可用的计算资源。确定了几个关键途径，以减轻不可避免的设备不均匀性，并提高可扩展性的前景。非线性频率转换将同时完成频率转换和量子纠缠所需的频谱擦除。可调谐环形谐振器同时提供滤波和路由能力。 在短期内，量子通信发射机的实现将需要量子光学、纳米光子学、等离子体激元学和非线性光学的前所未有的集成。从长远来看，所提出的技术有可能实现长距离、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.