Low-temperature optical photon detectors for quantum information applications

There is increasing interest in using high-performance cryogenic optical photon detectors in a variety of applications in quantum information science and technology. These applications require detectors that have extremely low dark count rates, high count rates, high quantum efficiency, and moderate energy resolution for IR to optical photons. We describe three applications, quantum key distribution, quantum optics with spontaneous parametric down converters, and linear optical quantum computing. We also describe preliminary results using a superconducting tungsten transition-edge sensor in a quantum key distribution system and a quantum optics experiment with spontaneous parametric down converters.

[1]  Sae Woo Nam,et al.  Detection of single infrared, optical, and ultraviolet photons using superconducting transition edge sensors , 1998 .

[2]  John M. Martinis,et al.  Demonstration of a low-noise near-infrared photon counter with multiphoton discrimination , 2003 .

[3]  Masato Koashi,et al.  Probabilistic manipulation of entangled photons , 2001 .

[4]  Hong,et al.  Measurement of subpicosecond time intervals between two photons by interference. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[5]  D. DiVincenzo,et al.  Quantum information is physical , 1997, cond-mat/9710259.

[6]  D. J. Goldie,et al.  Single optical photon detection with a superconducting tunnel junction , 1996, Nature.

[7]  E. B. Jenkins,et al.  The Emergence of the Modern Universe: Tracing the Cosmic Web , 1999 .

[8]  Lov K. Grover.  Quantum Mechanics Helps in Searching for a Needle in a Haystack , 1997, quant-ph/9706033.

[9]  J. D. Franson,et al.  Probabilistic quantum logic operations using polarizing beam splitters , 2001, quant-ph/0107091.

[10]  Aaron J. Miller,et al.  Direct observation of photon pairs at a single output port of a beam-splitter interferometer , 2003 .

[11]  E. Knill,et al.  A scheme for efficient quantum computation with linear optics , 2001, Nature.

[12]  Anthony J. Peacock,et al.  On the detection of single optical photons with superconducting tunnel junction , 1997 .

[13]  Peter W. Shor,et al.  Polynomial-Time Algorithms for Prime Factorization and Discrete Logarithms on a Quantum Computer , 1995, SIAM Rev..