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Integrated optomechanical single-photon frequency shifter

Nature Photonics volume 10, pages 766–770 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

The ability to manipulate single photons is of critical importance for fundamental quantum optics studies and practical implementations of quantum communications. While extraordinary progresses have been made in controlling spatial, temporal, spin and orbit angular momentum degrees of freedom1,2,3,4,5,6, frequency-domain control of single photons so far relies on nonlinear optical effects, which have faced obstacles such as noise photons, narrow bandwidth and demanding optical filtering7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15. Here, we demonstrate the first integrated optomechanical single-photon frequency shifter with near-unity efficiency. A frequency shift up to 150 GHz at telecom wavelength is realized without measurable added noise and the preservation of quantum coherence is verified through quantum interference between twin photons of different colours. This single-photon frequency shifter will be invaluable for increasing the channel capacity of quantum communications and compensating frequency mismatch between quantum systems, paving the road towards a hybrid quantum network.

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Figure 1: Principles of frequency conversion.
Figure 2: Frequency conversion induced by mechanical motion.
Figure 3: Single-photon frequency control.
Figure 4: Quantum interference between two photons with different colours.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding support from an LPS/ARO grant (W911NF-14-1-0563), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant (FA9550-15-1-0029), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Optical Radiation Cooling and Heating in Integrated Devices programme (ORCHID) through a grant from Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-10-1-0297), and the Packard Foundation. Facilities used were supported by the Yale Institute for Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering (YINQE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) Division of Materials Research (DMR) 1119826. The authors acknowledge L. Jiang and L. Li for discussion. The authors thank M. Power and M. Rooks for assistance in device fabrication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Linran Fan, Chang-Ling Zou, Menno Poot, Risheng Cheng, Xiang Guo, Xu Han & Hong X. Tang

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  1. Linran Fan
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  2. Chang-Ling Zou
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  3. Menno Poot
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  4. Risheng Cheng
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  5. Xiang Guo
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  6. Xu Han
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  7. Hong X. Tang
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Contributions

H.X.T., L.F. and C.-L.Z. conceived the experiment; L.F., R.C. and X.H. fabricated the device; L.F., M.P., R.C. and X.G. performed the measurements; L.F. and C.-L.Z. analysed the data. L.F. and C.-L.Z. wrote the manuscript, and all authors contributed to the manuscript. H.X.T. supervised the work.

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Correspondence to Hong X. Tang.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Fan, L., Zou, CL., Poot, M. et al. Integrated optomechanical single-photon frequency shifter. Nature Photon 10, 766–770 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.206

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