Entangled Photon-Pair Sources based on three-wave mixing in bulk crystals

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state of bulk-crystal based spontaneous parametric down conversion sources for entangled photon-pairs, emphasizing their relevance for quantum communication and deployment considerations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in bulk-optics SPDC sources with continuous wave pump for quantum networks.

Findings

Summarizes recent advances in bulk SPDC sources

Discusses deployment considerations for quantum networks

Highlights performance metrics of current photon-pair sources

Abstract

Entangled photon-pairs are a critical resource in quantum communication protocols ranging from quantum key distribution to teleportation. The current workhorse technique for producing photon-pairs is via spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) in bulk nonlinear crystals. The increased prominence of quantum networks has led to growing interest in deployable high performance entangled photon-pair sources. This manuscript provides a review of the state-of-the-art for bulk-optics-based SPDC sources with continuous wave pump, and discusses some of the main considerations when building for deployment.