In large-area quantum networks based on optical fibers, photons are the fundamental carriers of information as so-called flying qubits. They may also serve as the interconnect between different components of a hybrid architecture, which might comprise atomic and solid-state platforms operating at visible or near-infrared wavelengths, as well as optical links in the telecom band. Quantum frequency conversion is the pathway to change the color of a single photon while preserving its quantum state. Currently, nonlinear crystals are utilized for this process. However, their performance is limited by their acceptance bandwidth, tunability, polarization sensitivity, and undesired background emission. A promising alternative is based on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in gases. Here, we demonstrate polarization-preserving frequency conversion in a hydrogen-filled antiresonant hollow-core fiber. This approach holds promises for seamless integration into optical fiber networks and interfaces to single emitters. Disparate from related experiments that employ a pulsed pump field, we here take advantage of two coherent continuous-wave pump fields.
Perfluorocarbons: a material platform for tunable nonlinear frequency conversion in liquid filled suspended core fibers
Johannes Hofmann,
Wenqin Huang,
Torsten Wieduwilt,
Henrik Schneidewind,
Michael H. Frosz,
Markus A. Schmidt
Optical Materials Express
14
2898-2911
(2024)
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This study investigates supercontinuum generation in suspended core fibers filled with perfluorocarbons, highlighting their potential for ultrafast nonlinear frequency conversion. Spectroscopic absorption and refractive index dispersions are analyzed for three perfluorocarbons in the visible and near-infrared. Experiments show that the insertion of these liquids into suspended core fibers changes the dispersion landscape, enabling broadband soliton-based supercontinuum generation from 0.6 µm to 2.4 µm due to the creation of a confined domain of anomalous dispersion in the telecom range. In addition, temperature-dependent output spectrum modulation is demonstrated, highlighting the utility of the platform in photonic applications such as spectroscopy, sensing, and microscopy.
Contact
TDSU Fibre Fabrication & Glass Studio Michael Frosz
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light Staudtstr. 2 91058 Erlangen, Germany