Quantum Photonics Laboratory

Summary:

The objective of the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at CIO is to design and implement quantum photonic circuits integrated on chips of silice for applications in quantum information and computation. The main research projects in the laboratory are:

• Development of integrated quantum light sources with optimized properties, based on spontaneous parametric processes produced in optical materials such as nonlinear crystals, waveguides or optical fibers for applications in quantum information protocols.
• Development of quantum photonic circuits on silice chips with an architecture of integrated optics.

Experimental techniques:

• Design and manufacturing of photonic quantum circuits by laser inscription of waveguides in silice with amplified ultrashort laser pulses (Libra HE Coherent) by using the uFAB micro fabrication system from Newport.
• Generation of photon pair sources with optimized state in a variety of degrees of freedom such as polarization, frequency, transverse momentum, time, orbital angular momentum, spatial mode. Photon pairs are produced by nonlinear optical processes such as spontaneous parametric down conversion (SPDC) in bulk and waveguide crystals, or spontaneous four wave mixing (SFWM) in optical fibers.
• Spectral, spatial and temporal detection techniques related to the complete characterization of the two photon quantum state.

Available equipment:

The Quantum Photonics Laboratory is a 36 square meters space equipped with: two research grade optical tables coupled in an “L” configuration. CW 405nm, 800nm and 1550nm diode lasers. Single photon counting modules APD with 65% Q.E. at 800nm, two single photon counting modules APD with 25% Q.E. at 1550nm. Time tagger with 81ps temporal resolution. Two scanning spectrographs with resolution 0.01nm. High precision motorized linear stages. NIM fast electronics modules for counting, conversion, discrimination, temporal delay and logic implementation. 200MHz oscilloscopes. Compact CCD spectrometer. Compact CCD camera. Nonlinear optical crystals such as BBO, BiBO, PPKTP and PPLN for type I or type II phase matching in SPDC and conventional and specialty optical fibers for photon pair production in SFMW. General optical and opto-mechanical material. Additionally, at CIO we have the ultrafast optics laboratory equipped with an amplified ultrafast Ti:Sa laser system Libra HE from Coherent and the micro fabrication motorized station uFAB from Newport for manufacturing integrated photonics quantum circuits.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Roberto Ramírez Alarcón
Email: roberto.ramirez@cio.mx
Phone: 441 42 00 x 279 and 366
Location: Building H lower floor door 1382
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