Heralded single-photon generation using imperfect single-photon sources and a two-photon-absorbing medium

摘要

We propose a setup for a heralded, i.e., announced generation of a pure single-photon state given two imperfect sources whose outputs are represented by mixtures of the single-photon Fock state vertical bar 1 > with the vacuum vertical bar 0 >. Our purification scheme uses beam splitters, photodetection, and a two-photon-absorbing medium. The admixture of the vacuum is fully eliminated. We discuss two potential realizations of the scheme.