Robust, scalable Hong-Ou-Mandel manifolds in quantum optical ring resonators

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that scalable nanophotonic ring resonators can significantly enhance the robustness and controllability of the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect, which is crucial for quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, scalable nanophotonic system that improves the robustness of the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect beyond traditional beam splitters.

Findings

Enhanced robustness of HOM effect in ring resonator systems

Scalable on-chip quantum photonic device design

Conditional photon bunching with improved control

Abstract

Quantum Information Processing, from cryptography to computation, based upon linear quantum optical circuit elements relies heavily on the ability offered by the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) Effect to route photons from separate input modes into one of two common output modes. Specifically, the HOM Effect accomplishes the path entanglement of two photons at a time such that no coincidences are observed in the output modes of a system exhibiting the effect. In this paper, we prove in principle that a significant increase in the robustness of the HOM Effect can be accomplished in a scalable, readily manufactured nanophotonic system comprised of two waveguides coupled, on chip, to a ring resonator. We show that by operating such a device properly, one can conditionally bunch coincident input photons in a way that is far more robust and controllable than possible with an ordinary balanced beam splitter.