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Quantum interferometry methods exploit quantum resources, such as photonic entanglement, to enhance phase estimation beyond classical limits. Nonlinear optics has served as a workhorse for the generation of entangled photon pairs, ensuring both energy and phase conservation, but at the cost of limited rate and degraded signal-to-noise ratio compared to laser-based interferometry approaches. We present a "quantum-like" nonlinear optical method that reaches super-resolution in single-photon detection regime. This is achieved by replacing photon-pairs by coherent states of light, mimicking quantum properties through classical nonlinear optics processes. Our scheme utilizes two high-brightness lasers. This results in a substantially greater signal-to-noise ratio compared to its quantum counterpart. Such an approach paves the way to significantly reduced acquisition times, providing a pathway to explore signals across a broader range of bandwidth. The need to increase the frequency bandwidth of the quantum sensor significantly motivates the potential applications of this pathway.

Rare-earth ion doped crystals are state-of-the-art platforms for processing quantum information, particularly thanks to their excellent optical and spin coherence properties at cryogenic temperatures. Experimental observations have shown that the application of a static magnetic bias field significantly improves the coherence times in the rare-earth ions ensemble, but only a few studies have focused on its the dependency as a function of both magnetic field direction and amplitude. This is especially true for magnetic field amplitudes under the mT, and for low magnetic dipole moment ions. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the magnetic field parameters and the decoherence caused by magnetic dipole-dipole coupling with the nearest neighbors nuclear spins in the crystal. The primary non-Kramers rare-earth ions investigated here are europium and praseodymium, but we also extend our study to the ytterbium Kramers ion due to its low magnetic dipole in the mT range. We perform theoretical investigations and simulations of the energy structure and coherence time evolution and identify good correspondences between experimental and simulated spin echo data. This work allows us to pinpoint the most relevant decoherence mechanisms in the considered magnetic field regime, and to predict favorable magnetic configurations., Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures

We report on the conception, fabrication and characterization of a new concept of optical fiber enabling a precise control of the ratio between the 2nd and 4th-order of chromatic dispersion (respectively \b{eta}2 and \b{eta}4) at 1.55 micro-meter which is at the heart of the Four-Wave-Mixing (FWM) generation. For conventional highly nonlinear fiber the sensitivity of this ratio to fiber geometry fluctuations is very critical, making the fabrication process challenging. The new design fiber reconciles the accurate control of chromatic dispersion properties and fabrication by standard stack and draw method, allowing a robust and reliable method against detrimental fluctuations parameters during the fabrication process. Experimental frequency conversion with FWM in the new design fiber is demonstrated., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

We present a theoretical model of multimode quantum correlations in bright frequency combs generated in continuous-wave regime by microresonators above threshold. Our analysis shows how these correlations emerge from cascading four-wave mixing processes fed by the input pump as well as the generated bright beams. Logarithmic negativity criterion is employed to quantify entanglement between partitions of modes, demonstrating the transition from a bipartite regime just above the oscillation threshold to the multipartite one at higher input pump powers. Due to its generality, our model can be safely used to describe other kinds of non-linear $\chi$ (3) cavities.

In this paper, we introduce an all-fibered dual-comb spectrometer based on a new design of highly nonlinear fiber to efficiently convert frequency combs from 1.55 micron to 2 micron We show that our spectrometer can be used to measure absorption profiles of rovibrational transitions of CO2 and N2O molecules, and especially their collisional self-broadening coefficients. The results show very good agreement with the HITRAN database and thus further measurements have been performed on a mixture CO2 /N2O to measure the broadening of the CO2 absorption lines resulting from the presence of N2O., Comment: 26 pages, 11 figure, 1 table

Since the first proof-of-principle experiments 25 years ago, quantum metrology has matured from fundamental concepts to versatile and powerful tools in a large variety of research branches, such as gravitational-wave detection, atomic clocks, plasmonic sensing, and magnetometry. At the same time, two-photon interferometry, which underpins the possibility of entanglement to probe optical materials with unprecedented levels of precision and accuracy, holds the promise to stand at the heart of innovative functional quantum sensing systems. We report a novel quantum-based method for measuring the frequency dependence of the velocity in a transparent medium, i.e, the chromatic dispersion (CD). This technique, using energy-time entangled photons, allows straightforward access to CD value from the visibility of two-photon fringes recorded in a free evolution regime. In addition, our quantum approach features all advantages of classical measurement techniques, i.e, flexibility and accuracy, all in a plug-and-play system.

We present a real field quantum key distribution link based on energy-time entanglement. Three nodes are connected over the city of Nice by means of optical fibers with a total distance of 50\,km. We have implemented a high-quality source of energy-time entangled photon pairs and actively stabilized analysers to project the quantum states, associated with an innovative remote synchronization method of the end stations' clocks which does not require any dedicated channel. The system is compatible with the ITU 100\,GHz standard telecom-grid, through which a raw key rate of 40\,kbps per pair of channels is obtained. A post-treatment software performs all the necessary post-processing procedures enabling to establish secret keys in real time. All of those embedded systems and achieved performance make this network the first fully operational entanglement based metropolitan quantum network to be implemented in real field., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

In the context of quantum integrated photonics, this work investigates the quantum properties of light generated by silicon and silicon nitride micro-resonators pumped in pulsed regime. The developed theoretical model, performed in terms of the morphing supermodes, provides a comprehensive description of the generated quantum states. Remarkably, it shows that a full measurement of states carrying optimal squeezing levels is not accessible to standard homodyne detection, thus leaving hidden part of generated quantum features. By presenting and discussing this behaviour, as well as possible strategies to amend it, this work proves itself essential to future quantum applications exploiting micro-resonators as sources of multimode states.

Disposing of simple and efficient sources for photonic states with non-classical photon statistics is of paramount importance for implementing quantum computation and communication protocols. In this work, we propose an innovative approach that drastically simplifies the preparation of non-Gaussian states as compared to previous proposals, by taking advantage from the multiplexing capabilities offered by modern quantum photonics tools. Our proposal is inspired by iterative protocols, where multiple resources are combined one after the other for obtaining high-amplitude complex output states. Here, conversely, a large part of the protocol is performed in parallel, by using a single projective measurement along a mode which partially overlaps with all the input modes. We show that our protocol can be used to generate high-quality and high-amplitude Schr\"odinger cat states as well as more complex states such as error-correcting codes. Remarkably, our proposal can be implemented with experimentally available resources, highlighting its straightforward feasibility.

This work marks an important progress towards practical quantum optical technologies in the continuous variable regime, as it shows the feasibility of experiments where non-Gaussian state generation entirely relies on plug-&-play components from guided-wave optics technologies. This strategy is demonstrated experimentally with the heralded preparation of low amplitude Schr\"odinger cat states based on single-photon subtraction from a squeezed vacuum. All stages of the experiment are based on off-the-shelf fiber components. This leads to a stable, compact, and easily re-configurable realization, fully compatible with existing fibre networks and, more in general, with future out-of-the-laboratory applications.

Integrated entangled photon-pair sources are key elements for enabling large-scale quantum photonic solutions, and addresses the challenges of both scaling-up and stability. Here we report the first demonstration of an energy-time entangled photon-pair source based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion in silicon-based platform through an optically induced second-order ($\chi^{(2)}$) nonlinearity, ensuring type-0 quasi-phase-matching of fundamental harmonic and its second-harmonic inside the waveguide. The developed source shows a coincidence-to-accidental ratio of 1635 at 8 of $\mu$W pump power. Remarkably, we report two-photon interference with near-perfect visibility of 99.36$\pm1.94\%$, showing high-quality photonic entanglement without excess background noise. This opens a new horizon for quantum technologies requiring the integration of a large variety of building functionalities on single chips.

Quantum Information Networks (QINs) attract increasing interest, as they enable connecting quantum devices over long distances, thus greatly enhancing their intrinsic computing, sensing, and security capabilities. The core mechanism of a QIN is quantum state teleportation, consuming quantum entanglement, which can be seen in this context as a new kind of network resource. Here we identify use cases per activity sector, including key performance targets, as a reference for the network requirements. We then define a high-level architecture of a generic QIN, before focusing on the architecture of the Space segment, with the aim of identifying the main design drivers and critical elements. A survey of the state-of-the-art of these critical elements is presented, as are issues related to standardisation. Finally, we explain our roadmap to developing the first QINs and detail the already concluded first step, the design and numerical simulation of a Space-to-ground entanglement distribution demonstrator., Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables

Shaping single-mode operation in high-power fibres requires a precise knowledge of the gain-medium optical properties. This requires accurate measurements of the refractive index differences ($\Delta$n) between the core and the cladding of the fiber. We exploit a quantum optical method based on low-coherence Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry to perform practical measurements of the refractive index difference using broadband energy-time entangled photons. The precision enhancement reached with this method is benchmarked with a classical method based on single photon interferometry. We show in classical regime an improvement by an order of magnitude of the precision compared to already reported classical methods. Strikingly, in the quantum regime, we demonstrate an extra factor of 4 on the accuracy enhancement, exhibiting a state-of-the-art $\Delta$n precision of $6.10^{-7}$. This work sets the quantum photonics metrology as a powerful characterization tool that should enable a faster and reliable design of materials dedicated to light amplification.

This work establishes a versatile theoretical framework that explicitly describes single-photon subtraction from multimode quantum light in the context of non-Gaussian state generation and manipulation. The treatment focuses on easy-to-implement configurations in which no mode-selective operation is available and evaluates features and advantages of scheme where only simple filtering stages are employed on the experiments. Such configuration, by considerably reducing the experimental overheads, makes experiments involving single photon subtraction easier to be implemented. Obtained theoretical framework allows retrieving, given a multimode input state, optimal conditions required to herald and then to detect non-Gaussian states, providing a practical and powerful toolbox for experiments' design. The application of the proposed approach to the case study of Schr\"odinger kitten preparation starting from a frequency multimode squeezed state illustrates the impact of the derived theoretical tools.

We demonstrate supermode-based second harmonic generation in an integrated nonlinear interferometer made of linear and nonlinear directional couplers. We use a fully-fibered pump shaper to demonstrate second harmonic generation pumped by the symmetric or anti-symmetric fundamental spatial modes. The selection of the pumping mode and thus of a specific SHG spectral profile is achieved through the selection of the fundamental wavelength and via a robust phase setting scheme. We use two methods: either post-selecting or actively setting the pumping mode. Such a modal phase matching paves the way for classical and quantum applications of coupled nonlinear photonic circuits, where multimode excitation, encoding and detection are a route for multiplexing and scaling up light-processing., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures

Photonic quantum technology can be enhanced by monolithic fabrication of both the underpinning quantum hardware and the corresponding electronics for classical readout and control. Together, this enables miniaturisation and mass-manufacture of small quantum devices---such as quantum communication nodes, quantum sensors and sources of randomness---and promises the precision and scale of fabrication required to assemble useful quantum computers. Here we combine CMOS compatible silicon and germanium-on-silicon nano-photonics with silicon-germanium integrated amplification electronics to improve performance of on-chip homodyne detection of quantum light. We observe a 3 dB bandwidth of 1.7 GHz, shot-noise limited performance beyond 9 GHz and minaturise the required footprint to 0.84 mm. We use the device to observe quantum squeezed light, from 100 MHz to 9 GHz, generated in a lithium niobate waveguide. This demonstrates that an all-integrated approach yields faster homodyne detectors for quantum technology than has been achieved to-date and opens the way to full-stack integration of photonic quantum devices., Comment: Nat. Photonics (2020)

Progress in integrated photonics enables combining several elementary functions on single substrates for realizing advanced functionnalized chips. We report a monolithic integrated quantum photonic realization on lithium niobate, where nonlinear optics and electro-optics properties have been harnessed simultaneously for generating heralded configurable, two-photon states. Taking advantage of a picosecond pump laser and telecom components, we demonstrate the production of various path-coded heralded two-photon states, showing 94\% raw visibility for Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. The versatility and performance of such a highly integrated photonic entanglement source enable exploring more complex quantum information processing protocols finding application in communication, metrology and processing tasks.

We investigate the impact of photorefractive effect on lithium niobate integrated quantum photonic circuits dedicated to continuous variable on-chip experiments. The circuit main building blocks, i.e. cavities, directional couplers, and periodically poled nonlinear waveguides are studied. This work demonstrates that, even when the effect of photorefractivity is weaker than spatial mode hopping, they might compromise the success of on-chip quantum photonics experiments. We describe in detail the characterization methods leading to the identification of this possible issue. We also study to which extent device heating represents a viable solution to counter this effect. We focus on photorefractive effect induced by light at 775 nm, in the context of the generation of non-classical light at 1550 nm telecom wavelength.

Path-entangled multi-photon states allow optical phase-sensing beyond the shot-noise limit, provided that an efficient parity measurement can be implemented. Realising this experimentally is technologically demanding, as it requires coincident single-photon detection proportional to the number of photons involved, which represents a severe challenge for achieving a practical quantum advantage over classical methods. Here, we exploit advanced quantum state engineering based on superposing two photon-pair creation events to realise a new approach that bypasses this issue. In particular, optical phase shifts are probed with a two-photon quantum state whose information is subsequently effectively transferred to a single-photon state. Notably, without any multiphoton detection, we infer phase shifts by measuring the average intensity of the single-photon beam on a photodiode, in analogy to standard classical measurements. Importantly, our approach maintains the quantum advantage: twice as many interference fringes are observed for the same phase shift, corresponding to N=2 path-entangled photons. Our results demonstrate that the advantages of quantum-enhanced phase-sensing can be fully exploited in standard intensity measurements, paving the way towards resource-efficient and practical quantum optical metrology., Comment: 6 pagers, 4 figures

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a plug-and-play, practical, and enabling method allowing to synchronize the building blocks of a quantum network in an all-optical way. Our scheme relies on mature and reliable classical telecommunication and non-linear optical technologies and can be implemented in a universal way with off-the-shelf components. Compared to already reported solutions, it allows achieving high-quality synchronization compatible with high network-operation rate and is free from opto-electronic jitters affecting servo-loop based configurations. We test our scheme with a genuine quantum optical method in terms of the interference between two photons coming from two remotely synchronized sources spaced by distances of up to 100 km. Measured visibilities well above 90% confirm the validity of our approach. Due its simplicity and high-quality performance, our scheme paves the way for the synchronization of long-distance quantum networks based on fibre, free-space, as well as hybrid solutions.

The fruitful association of quantum and integrated photonics holds the promise to produce, manipulate, and detect quantum states of light using compact and scalable systems. Integrating all the building-blocks necessary to produce high-quality photonic entanglement in the telecom wavelength range out of a single chip remains a major challenge, mainly due to the limited performance of on-chip light rejection filters. We report a stand-alone, telecom-compliant, device that integrates, on a single substrate, a nonlinear photon-pair generator and a passive pump rejection filter. Using standard channel-grid fiber demultiplexers, we demonstrate the first entanglement quantification of such a integrated circuit, showing the highest raw quantum interference visibility for energy-time entangled photons over two telecom-wavelength bands. Genuinely pure maximally entangled states can therefore be generated thanks to the high-level of noise suppression obtained with the pump filter. These results will certainly further promote the development of more advanced and scalable photonic-integrated quantum systems compliant with telecommunication standards., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

We propose a scheme for the generation of hybrid states entangling a single-photon time-bin qubit with a coherent-state qubit encoded on phases. Compared to other reported solutions, time-bin encoding makes hybrid entanglement particularly well adapted to applications involving long-distance propagation in optical fibers. This makes our proposal a promising resource for future out-of-the-laboratory quantum communication. In this perspective, we analyze our scheme by taking into account realistic experimental resources and discuss the impact of their imperfections on the quality of the obtained hybrid state.

We develop a universal approach enabling the study of any multimode quantum optical system evolving under a quadratic Hamiltonian. Our strategy generalizes the standard symplectic analysis and permits the treatment of multimode systems even in situations where traditional theoretical methods cannot be applied. This enables the description and investigation of a broad variety of key-resources for experimental quantum optics, ranging from optical parametric oscillators, to silicon-based micro-ring resonator, as well as opto-mechanical systems.

Realising a global quantum network requires combining individual strengths of different quantum systems to perform universal tasks, notably using flying and stationary qubits. However, transferring coherently quantum information between different systems is challenging as they usually feature different properties, notably in terms of operation wavelength and wavepacket. To circumvent this problem for quantum photonics systems, we demonstrate a polarisation-preserving quantum frequency conversion device in which telecom wavelength photons are converted to the near infrared, at which a variety of quantum memories operate. Our device is essentially free of noise which we demonstrate through near perfect single photon state transfer tomography and observation of high-fidelity entanglement after conversion. In addition, our guided-wave setup is robust, compact, and easily adaptable to other wavelengths. This approach therefore represents a major building block towards advantageously connecting quantum information systems based on light and matter., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures