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Mapping Twisted Light into and out of a Photonic Chip

Yuan Chen, Jun Gao, Zhi-Qiang Jiao, Ke Sun, Wei-Guan Shen, Lu-Feng Qiao, Hao Tang, Xiao-Feng Lin, and Xian-Min Jin
Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 233602 – Published 7 December 2018
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Abstract

Twisted light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) provides an additional degree of freedom for modern optics and an emerging resource for both classical and quantum information technologies. Its inherently infinite dimensions can potentially be exploited by using mode multiplexing to enhance data capacity for sustaining the unprecedented growth in big data and internet traffic and can be encoded to build large-scale quantum computing machines in high-dimensional Hilbert space. While the emission of twisted light from the surface of integrated devices to free space has been widely investigated, the transmission and processing inside a photonic chip remain to be addressed. Here, we present the first laser-direct-written waveguide being capable of supporting OAM modes and experimentally demonstrate a faithful mapping of twisted light into and out of a photonic chip. The states OAM0, OAM1, OAM+1, and their superpositions can transmit through the photonic chip with a total efficiency up to 60% with minimal crosstalk. In addition, we present the transmission of quantum twisted light states of single photons and measure the output states with single-photon imaging. Our results may add OAM as a new degree of freedom to be transmitted and manipulated in a photonic chip for high-capacity communication and high-dimensional quantum information processing.

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  • Received 4 May 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.233602

© 2018 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Quantum Information, Science & TechnologyAtomic, Molecular & Optical

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Twisted Light in a Photonic Chip

Published 7 December 2018

Light waves capable of storing quantum information can propagate through a photonic chip waveguide and potentially be used for on-chip computation.

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Authors & Affiliations

Yuan Chen1,2,3, Jun Gao1,2,3, Zhi-Qiang Jiao1,3, Ke Sun1, Wei-Guan Shen1,3, Lu-Feng Qiao1,3, Hao Tang1,3,4, Xiao-Feng Lin1,3, and Xian-Min Jin1,3,4,*

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • 2Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering and Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
  • 3Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
  • 4Institute of Natural Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

  • *xianmin.jin@sjtu.edu.cn

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Issue

Vol. 121, Iss. 23 — 7 December 2018

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