A single-photon on demand source with decoupled single and multiphoton probabilities: initial results
Alan L. Migdall, David Branning, Stefania Castelletto, Michael J. Ware · 2003
We present an analysis of a multiplexed downconversion system designed to pro-duce a single-photon on-demand source, by a multiple delay line trigger, yielding a single-photon certification of the produced photons. We discuss theoretically a simple implementation of the system together with initial experimental results. The advent of photon-based quantum cryptography, communication and computation schemes1–4 is increasing the need for light sources that pro-duce individual photons; as unwanted additional photons can render quantum cryptographic links insecure and degrade quantum-computation efficiencies.5 More specifically, it would be useful to have these photons created in response to an external trigger, or even to have them arrive repetitively at a fixed, but selectable rate. As currently implemented, single-photon sources cannot be made to produce single photons with high probability, while simultane-ously suppressing the probability of yielding two or more photons. Because of this fact, single photon sources cannot really produce single photons on demand. We have previously described a multiplexed parametric downcon-