Efficient conditional preparation and assessment of single photon wavepackets based on spontaneous parametric downconversion in a KTP nonlinear waveguide

摘要

The reliable generation of true single-photon wavepackets with well-defined modal structure is a crucial ingredient for the realization of linear optical quantum computing. In this paper we present experimental results indicating the efficient generation of conditionally prepared single photons from parametric downconversion in a KTP nonlinear waveguide. In addition we present, theoretically and experimentally, a novel criterion for the assessment of conditional single photon sources which takes into account the contributions of heralded vacuum due to optical losses, of higher photon numbers and of the binary response of typical single photon detectors. Utilizing this criterion, we show that our KTP nonlinear waveguide represents a high fidelity source of conditionally prepared single photons.