Development of highly efficient, portable, and fiber-integrated photonic platforms based on micro-resonators

紧凑型光学基准的开发使新型超精密、紧凑型光学原子钟成为可能。系统的关键部件是超紧凑型相干光频率梳，用于将光参考频率转换为电子信号，从而实现设施和电信网络、数据中心和新型国防应用中GNSS拒绝/中断的保持参考等应用。实现量子密码学的关键是量子密钥分发（QKD）和量子随机数生成（QRNG）技术的发展，以确保安全，可靠和强大的通信网络。目前的协议利用高度衰减的激光束或单光子源进行加密。激光器在高比特率、简单的实验设置和低硬件成本方面具有优势。只有将量子光源嵌入激光器才能实现真正的安全通信。应用需要高质量、低成本的光学解决方案。紧凑的，光纤集成的微谐振器表现出大的非线性光学行为，这有利于它们在广泛的系统中的应用，从有效的纠缠单光子源的光频率梳的产生。随着工业化生产的建立和它们容易集成到全光纤系统中，微谐振器是具有苛刻的鲁棒性和稳定性要求的便携式系统的理想设备。我们将开发基于嵌入光纤激光器和芯片集成微谐振器的架构为量子技术应用量身定制的有效光源。利用这些芯片的特殊光学非线性以及INRS-EMT和Sussex之间合作开发的专业知识，将开发高效，紧凑的光源用于（i）量子密码学，开发QKD和QRNG的单光子概率源和（ii）便携式原子钟，实现了一个坚固的光学频率梳，并将其锁定到原子参考。相同的基础物理和技术允许瞄准光学频率梳的关键应用。量子技术的来源。加拿大团队将利用这些系统作为量子密码学的纠缠单光子源，英国团队将专注于将其集成到便携式光学参考中，以构建紧凑的原子钟。凭借在真空电子学（TMD），非经典光源（OEC），非线性微谐振器（MEMS），（INRS-EMT），光子学（Pasquazi-Sussex）和原子科学（凯勒-苏塞克斯）;这一目标将通过利用非线性光学与集成微谐振器的联合专业知识来开发高效光子源和高精度光学频率梳来实现。共享的专业知识，加拿大和英国团队及其工业合作伙伴的技术和技能将促进快速进步和商业化。

Compact optical reference development allows novel ultra-precise, compact optical atomic clocks to become feasible. Crucial system components are ultra-compact coherent optical frequency combs to convert the optical reference frequency into an electronic signal, enabling applications such as hold-over references for GNSS denial/interruption in facilities and telecom networks, data centres and novel defence applications.Simultaneously, quantum cryptography has gained tremendous momentum in the last decade. Key to enabling quantum cryptography are the development of quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum random number generation (QRNG) techniques ensuring safe, reliable, and robust communication networks. Current protocols utilize highly attenuated laser beams or single photon sources for encryption. Lasers offer advantages in terms of high bit rates, simplistic experimental setups, and low hardware costs. Truly secure communication can only be achieved by embedding quantum light sources with lasers.Applications need high-quality, low-cost optical solutions. Compact, fibre-integrated micro-resonators exhibit large nonlinear optical behaviour which facilitates their application in a wide range of systems, from efficient entangled single photon sources to optical frequency comb generation. With industrial fabrication established and their easy integration into an all-fibre system, micro-resonators are ideal devices for portable systems with demanding robustness and stability requirements.We will develop effective optical sources tailored for quantum technology applications based on architectures embedding fibre-laser and chip-integrated micro-resonators. Using the exceptional optical nonlinearity of these chips and the expertise developed by the collaboration between INRS-EMT and Sussex, efficient, compact optical sources will be developed for (i) quantum cryptography, developing a probabilistic source of single photons for QKD and QRNG and (ii) portable atomic clocks, realizing a ruggedized optical frequency comb and locking it to an atomic reference.The same underlying physics and technology allows the targeting of key applications of optical sources in quantum technology. The Canadian team will employ these systems as entangled single photon sources for quantum cryptography, the UK team will focus on their integration into a portable optical reference to build a compact atomic clock.With unique in-house, world-leading expertise in vacuum electronics (TMD), non-classical light sources (OEC), non-linear micro-resonators (INRS-EMT), photonics (Pasquazi-Sussex) and atomic science (Keller-Sussex); the goal will be achieved by using the joint expertise in non-linear optics with integrated micro-resonators to develop a high-efficiency photon source and a highly-precise optical frequency comb. The shared expertise, technology and techniques of the Canadian and UK teams, as well as of their industrial partners will facilitate rapid progress and commercialization.