Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Wavelength-multiplexed quantum networks with ultrafast frequency combs

Nature Photonics volume 8, pages 109–112 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Highly entangled quantum networks (cluster states) lie at the heart of recent approaches to quantum computing1,2. Yet the current approach for constructing optical quantum networks does so one node at a time3,4,5, which lacks scalability. Here, we demonstrate the single-step fabrication of a multimode quantum resource from the parametric downconversion of femtosecond-frequency combs. Ultrafast pulse shaping6 is employed to characterize the comb's spectral entanglement7,8. Each of the 511 possible bipartitions among ten spectral regions is shown to be entangled; furthermore, an eigenmode decomposition reveals that eight independent quantum channels9 (qumodes) are subsumed within the comb. This multicolour entanglement imports the classical concept of wavelength-division multiplexing to the quantum domain by playing upon frequency entanglement to enhance the capacity of quantum-information processing. The quantum frequency comb is easily addressable, robust with respect to decoherence and scalable, which renders it a unique tool for quantum information.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Experimental layout for the creation and characterization of multimode frequency combs.
Figure 2: Assessment of Duan inseparability criteria with ultrafast pulse shaping.
Figure 3: Frequency correlations of the quantum comb.
Figure 4: Amplitude spectra and corresponding squeezing values and quadratures for the leading six experimental supermodes retrieved from the covariance matrix.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Menicucci, N. C. et al. Universal quantum computation with continuous-variable cluster states. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 110501 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Weedbrook, C. et al. Gaussian quantum information. Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 621–669 (2012).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Yukawa, M., Ukai, R., van Loock, P. & Furusawa, A. Experimental generation of four-mode continuous-variable cluster states. Phys. Rev. A 78, 012301 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Aoki, T. et al. Quantum error correction beyond qubits. Nature Phys. 5, 541–546 (2009).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Su, X. et al. Experimental preparation of eight-partite cluster state for photonic qumodes. Opt. Lett. 37, 5178–5180 (2012).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Weiner, A. M. Femtosecond pulse shaping using spatial light modulators. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 71, 1929–1960 (2000).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Van Loock, P. & Furusawa, A. Detecting genuine multipartite continuous-variable entanglement. Phys. Rev. A 67, 052315 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Polycarpou, C., Cassemiro, K., Venturi, G., Zavatta, A. & Bellini, M. Adaptive detection of arbitrarily shaped ultrashort quantum light states. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 053602 (2012).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Braunstein, S. L. & van Loock, P. Quantum information with continuous variables. Rev. Mod. Phys. 77, 513–577 (2005).

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. Menicucci, N. C., Flammia, S. T. & Pfister, O. One-way quantum computing in the optical frequency comb. Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 130501 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Ukai, R. et al. Demonstration of unconditional one-way quantum computations for continuous variables. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 240504 (2011).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Pysher, M., Miwa, Y., Shahrokhshahi, R., Bloomer, R. & Pfister, O. Parallel generation of quadripartite cluster entanglement in the optical frequency comb. Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 030505 (2011).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pinel, O. et al. Generation and characterization of multimode quantum frequency combs. Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 083601 (2012).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Grice, W. P., U'Ren, A. B. & Walmsley, I. A. Eliminating frequency and space–time correlations in multiphoton states. Phys. Rev. A 64, 063815 (2001).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Mosley, P. J. et al. Heralded generation of ultrafast single photons in pure quantum states. Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 133601 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Patera, G., Treps, N., Fabre, C. & de Valcarcel, G. J. Quantum theory of synchronously pumped type I optical parametric oscillators: characterization of the squeezed supermodes. Eur. Phys. J. D 56, 123–140 (2010).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hyllus, P. & Eisert, J. Optimal entanglement witnesses for continuous-variable systems. New J. Phys. 8, 51 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Duan, L-M., Giedke, G., Cirac, J. I. & Zoller, P. Inseparability criterion for continuous variable systems. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2722–2725 (2000).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bowen, W. P., Schnabel, R., Lam, P. K. & Ralph, T. C. Experimental investigation of criteria for continuous variable entanglement. Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 043601 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Simon, R. Peres–Horodecki separability criterion for continuous variable systems. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2726–2729 (2000).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Treps, N., Delaubert, V., Maître, A., Courty, J. M. & Fabre, C. Quantum noise in multipixel image processing. Phys. Rev. A 71, 013820 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Opatrný, T., Korolkova, N. & Leuchs, G. Mode structure and photon number correlations in squeezed quantum pulses. Phys. Rev. A 66, 053813 (2002).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Braunstein, S. L. Squeezing as an irreducible resource. Phys. Rev. A 71, 055801 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Ferrini, G., Gazeau, J. P., Coudreau, T., Fabre, C. & Treps, N. Compact gaussian quantum computation by multi-pixel homodyne detection. New J. Phys. 15, 093015 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Armstrong, S. et al. Programmable multimode quantum networks. Nature Commun. 3, 1026 (2012).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Yokoyama, S. et al. Ultra-large-scale continuous-variable cluster states multiplexed in the time domain. Nature Photon. 7, 982–986 (2013).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Lamine, B., Fabre, C. & Treps, N. Quantum improvement of time transfer between remote clocks. Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 123601 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Vaughan, J., Hornung, T., Feurer, T. & Nelson, K. Diffraction-based femtosecond pulse shaping with a two-dimensional spatial light modulator. Opt. Lett. 30, 323–325 (2005).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the French National Research Agency project Qualitime as well as the European Research Council starting grant Frecquam. C.F. is a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. J.R. acknowledges support from the European Commission through Marie Curie Actions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 Place Jussieu, Paris, 75005, France

    Jonathan Roslund, Renné Medeiros de Araújo, Shifeng Jiang, Claude Fabre & Nicolas Treps

Authors
  1. Jonathan Roslund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Renné Medeiros de Araújo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shifeng Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Claude Fabre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nicolas Treps
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

C.F. and N.T. developed and supervised the project. All authors designed the experiments. S.J. designed the optical cavity. J.R. and R.M.A. constructed the apparatus and performed the experiments. All authors contributed to the authorship of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicolas Treps.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information

Supplementary information (PDF 4563 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Roslund, J., de Araújo, R., Jiang, S. et al. Wavelength-multiplexed quantum networks with ultrafast frequency combs. Nature Photon 8, 109–112 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.340

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2013.340

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing