Entangling time-bin qubits with a switch

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a simple scheme to entangle two independent time-bin qubits using a high-speed optical switch, advancing quantum information processing over optical fibers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for entangling time-bin qubits via Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with an optical switch, which was experimentally confirmed.

Findings

Successful formation of time-bin entanglement

Implementation of a basic two-qubit entangling operation

Use of high-speed 2x2 optical switch for quantum interference

Abstract

A time-bin qubit is a promising candidate qubit for advanced quantum information processing systems operating over optical fibers or integrated quantum photonic circuits. However, the single- and two-qubit operations of time-bin qubits have been largely unexplored compared with those of polarization qubits. Here, I present a simple scheme for implementing a basic two-qubit operation, namely an "entangling" operation of two independent time-bin qubits, based on Hong-Ou-Mandel quantum interference in a high-speed 2x2 optical switch. With the proposed scheme, the formation of a time-bin entanglement was confirmed experimentally.