Telecom C-Band Photon-Pair Generation using Standard SMF-28 Fiber

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates efficient C-band photon-pair generation using short SMF-28 fiber with a pump wavelength far from the zero GVD point, enabling flexible photon source design.

Contribution

It introduces a method for generating photon pairs with pump wavelengths much larger than the zero GVD wavelength using short fibers, expanding material and wavelength options.

Findings

Photon pairs generated with rates comparable to long fibers.

Achieved Bell inequality S value of 2.659.

Effective photon-pair generation regardless of dispersion properties.

Abstract

Photon-pair generation must satisfy both the energy conservation and phase-matching conditions with a specific pump wavelength and dispersion of nonlinear optical medium, but finding a photon-pair, which has a desired specific wavelength, generation medium is challenging. Here, we present a method to create photon pairs that functions efficiently even the pump wavelength is much larger than the zero GVD wavelength of medium. In this study, we employ short SMF-28 fibers having ~1310 nm zero GVD wavelength and C-band pump (1552.52 nm) to generate C-band photon pairs. The measured pair generation rate and coincidence-to-accidental ratios are comparable to those from a long dispersion-shifted fiber. Polarization-entangled states are prepared, and an S value of 2.659 +- 0.094 is achieved from Bell inequality measurements. Our results indicate that the use of a short SFWM medium yields adequate photon-pair generation rates regardless of its dispersion properties in almost any material at any pump wavelength.