Two-photon interference at a telecom wavelength for quantum networking

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates high-visibility two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths using fiber-coupled sources, advancing quantum networking capabilities with practical, telecom-compatible components for long-distance quantum communication.

Contribution

It introduces a fiber-based setup with independent photon sources achieving near 92% interference visibility, suitable for real-world quantum network implementations.

Findings

Achieved 91.9% interference visibility

Used fiber-coupled photon sources and off-the-shelf optics

Demonstrated compatibility with telecom infrastructure

Abstract

The interference between two independent photons stands as a crucial aspect of numerous quantum information protocols and technologies. In this work, we leverage fiber-coupled devices, which encompass fibered photon pair-sources and off-the-shelf optics, to demonstrate Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. We employ two distinct single photon sources, namely an heralded single-photon source and a weak coherent laser source, both operating asynchronously in continuous-wave regime. We record two-photon coincidences, showing a state-of-art visibility of 91.9(5)\%. This work, compliant with telecom technology provides realistic backbones for establishing long-range communication based on quantum teleportation in hybrid quantum networks.