Jinxia Feng

Generation and characterization of multimode quantum frequency combs

Multimode nonclassical states of light are an essential resource in quantum computation with continuous variables [1]. They can be generated either by mixing different squeezed light sources using linear optical operations [2], or directly in a multimode optical device [3, 4]. Synchronously Pumped Optical Parametric Oscillators (SPOPO) — which correspond to an OPO pumped by a train of ultrashort pulses that are synchronized with the cavity round-trip time — have been theoretically shown to be promising devices for the generation of multimode nonclassical frequency combs, since a SPOPO is a sole optical cavity acting as an assembly of independent squeezers in a particular basis called the supermodes basis [5]. The supermodes are optical frequency combs with specific spectrum and phase profiles that are determined by the length of the intracavity nonlinear crystal and the pulse shape of the pump.

Generation of a squeezing vacuum at a telecommunication wavelength with periodically poled LiNbO3

A continuous-wave squeezed vacuum at a telecommunication wavelength was reported. Using an Er-doped fiber amplifier seeded by a single-frequency laser diode as the pump laser source, via a frequency doubler and an optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled LiNbO3, the squeezed vacuum of 2.4±0.1dB below the shot noise limit at 1560nm was observed (the inferred initial squeezing is about 6.4±0.5dB). This system is compatible with standard telecommunication optical fiber, and will be useful for long-distance quantum communication and distributed quantum computing.

400 mW low noise continuous-wave single-frequency Er,Yb:YAl 3 (BO 3 ) 4 laser at 1.55 μm

We build up a LD end-pumped Er,Yb:YAB laser at 1.55 μm and improve the laser performance by end cooling the gain medium efficiently through a sapphire plate. 680 mW cw single transverse mode laser output was obtained with the slope efficiency of 16.3%. Using an etalon placed in the laser cavity, 400 mW cw single frequency 1.55 μm laser output was achieved with the slope efficiency of 11.8%. The laser power fluctuation was less than ± 1.3% in a given period of 1.5 hours. The 1.55 μm laser presents low noise properties, that the intensity and the phase noise reach the shot noise level for the analysis frequencies higher than 4 MHz and 5 MHz, respectively.

Generation and Characterization of Multimode Quantum Frequency Combs

We present the first experimental generation of a femtosecond quantum frequency comb using a synchronously pumped OPO, showing that it behaves as an assembly of independent squeezers in agreement with theoretical predictions.

Noise suppression, linewidth narrowing of a master oscillator power amplifier at 1.56μm and the second harmonic generation output at 780nm

We have demonstrated a 2 W cw single frequency 1.56 microm laser using a diode laser seeded Erbium doped fiber power amplifier, and a 715 mW cw single-frequency 780 nm laser by an external cavity enhanced second-harmonic-generation. The performance of the system was improved greatly by the seed diode laser optical locked to the resonant frequency of confocal F-P cavity. The linewidth of the 1.56 microm laser was narrowed from 2 MHz to 200 kHz, meanwhile, the intensity and phase noises were suppressed by 10 dB and 12 dB, respectively. The linewidth of the 780 nm laser was narrowed from 2 MHz to 300 kHz, meanwhile, the intensity and phase noises were suppressed by 11 dB and 13 dB, respectively.

High-efficiency generation of a continuous-wave single-frequency 780 nm laser by external-cavity frequency doubling

We demonstrated a 670 mW continuous-wave single-frequency laser source at 780 nm by using external-cavity-enhanced second-harmonic generation of a seeded fiber amplifier in periodically poled lithium niobate. A maximum second-harmonic conversion efficiency of 58% was achieved. The source can work stably over 1 h by locking the frequency-doubling cavity, while the power stability is less than 2%.

High-power stable continuous-wave single-longitudinal-mode Nd:YVO_4 laser at 1342 nm

A universal model about the sufficient condition of stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation is established and applied to the theoretical analysis of a high power unidirectional ring Nd:YVO4 laser at 1342 nm with energy transfer upconversion and excited stimulated absorption taken into account. A stable continuous-wave SLM laser with 1342 nm power of 11.3 W and 671 nm power of 0.3 W is fabricated by optimizing the transmission of output coupler and the temperature of LiB3O5 crystal. Mode-hopping-free laser operation with a power stability better than ± 0.5% and a frequency fluctuation less than ± 88 MHz is achieved during a given three hours.

Linear polarization output performance of Nd:YAG laser at 946 nm considering the energy-transfer upconversion

A theoretical model of quasi-three-level laser system is developed, in which both the thermally induced depolarization loss and the effect of energy-transfer upconversion are taken into account. Based on the theoretical investigation of the influences of output transmission and incident pump power on thermally induced depolarization loss, the output performance of 946 nm linearly polarized Nd:YAG laser is experimentally studied. By optimizing the transmission of output coupler, a 946 nm linearly polarized continuous-wave single-transverse-mode laser with an output power of 4.2 W and an optical– optical conversion efficiency of 16.8% is obtained, and the measured beam quality factors are M2 x = 1.13 and M 2 y = 1.21. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the experimental result.

Distribution of continuous variable quantum entanglement at a telecommunication wavelength over 20 km of optical fiber

The distribution of continuous variable (CV) Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR)-entangled beams at a telecommunication wavelength of 1550 nm over single-mode fibers is investigated. EPR-entangled beams with quantum entanglement of 8.3 dB are generated using a single nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier based on a type-II periodically poled KTiOPO4 crystal. When one beam of the generated EPR-entangled beams is distributed over 20 km of single-mode fiber, 1.02 dB quantum entanglement can still be measured. The degradation of CV quantum entanglement in a noisy fiber channel is theoretically analyzed considering the effect of depolarized guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in optical fibers. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of singly resonant optical parametric oscillator under double-pass pumping

The singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) under double-pass pumping in a two-mirror linear cavity is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Different output couplers are used in the periodically poled lithium niobate based SRO to optimize the extracted signal output. When the 2.5% output coupler is used, a pump threshold as low as 3.7 W is achieved, and 6.2 W of signal at 1.56 μm with the linewidth of 62.5 kHz is obtained at pump power of 14.5 W. The measured signal frequency drift and peak-to-peak power fluctuation are less than ±40 MHz and ±0.9% in a given 1 h, respectively.