Broadband spectral manipulation of single photons using cross-phase modulation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method for broadband spectral manipulation of single photons using cross-phase modulation in fiber, enabling tunable frequency shifts and bandwidth control for quantum communication applications.

Contribution

The authors experimentally achieve deterministic broadband frequency control of single photons via cross-phase modulation in fiber, a novel approach for quantum spectral engineering.

Findings

Absolute frequency shifts up to ±6.5 THz achieved.

Bandwidth manipulation from 0.66 to 8.4 times the input.

Spectral control demonstrated with superconducting nanowire detectors.

Abstract

Manipulating the frequency and bandwidth of light is crucial in classical and quantum applications including communication, spectroscopy, imaging, and signal processing. Such capabilities also offer potential for interfacing disparate quantum systems in quantum networking and for quantum information processing. We experimentally demonstrate deterministic, broadband frequency control of heralded telecom-band single photons via cross-phase modulation in a short length of single-mode fiber. An intense, ultrafast pump pulse imposes a transient, intensity-dependent refractive-index gradient which imparts a tunable phase shift on the single photons. We present absolute frequency shifts of up to $+6.46\pm0.01$\,THz and $-5.74\pm0.01$\,THz, and bandwidth manipulation ranging from a factor of $0.66\pm0.03$ to $8.4\pm0.3$ times that of the input. Spectral measurements are acquired with a time-of-flight spectrometer and superconducting nanowire detectors. Our scheme offers a compact and scalable route to spectral routing and bandwidth engineering for ultrafast quantum networking and quantum information processing.