High-Efficiency Plug-and-Play Source of Heralded Single Photons
Nicola Montaut, Linda Sansoni, Evan Meyer-Scott, Raimund Ricken, Viktor Quiring, Harald Herrmann, Christine Silberhorn · Physical Review Applied · 2017
In quantum optics, is it possible to operate a single-photon source without having to tweak its alignment every day? In principle, yes, but usually such sources suffer tremendous losses and poor performance. The authors show that it is possible to build a single-photon source that retains high efficiency and good performance in an alignment-free package, by appropriately engineering the source chip and permanent coupling to optical components. Their device delivers laboratory-grade performance in a stable package that is easy to use, reliable, and compact, thus bridging the gap between highly equipped labs and real-world applications.