Sparrow Quantum, in collaboration with Ruhr University Bochum, has achieved a photon production rate exceeding 500 million per second, setting a new record.
Sparrow Quantum has partnered with Ruhr University Bochum to develop a groundbreaking photon source capable of generating over 500 million usable photons per second through single-mode fiber. This milestone was highlighted in a recent press release from the company.
The advanced system operates at a frequency of 1 GHz and boasts an impressive input efficiency of over 50% into the fiber. The generated single photons exhibit high purity and indistinguishability without the need for spectral filtering, marking this as the highest recorded flow of single photons to date.
This photon flow surpasses 100 pW of optical power, a measurement achievable with standard optical power meters. Sparrow Quantum believes this advancement will enhance metrology practices by providing a reliable standard for photon flow and aiding in the calibration of single photon detectors.
Additionally, after utilizing space-time demultiplexing to split the flow into 10 channels, the source is capable of delivering tens of millions of photons per second per channel. This capacity is deemed adequate for conducting practical experiments involving approximately 10 photons and interference among 10 to 20 particles. The company anticipates applications across quantum computing, networking, communications, and metrology.
Juan Carlos Loredo, the Vice President of Innovation at Sparrow Quantum, emphasized that this new photon flow rate addresses limitations faced in multiphoton experiments. Meanwhile, the company's founder, Peter Lodahl, pointed out that scalable generation and control of entanglement in larger photonic quantum systems remains a significant challenge ahead.
