Integrated nonlinear photonic circuits for mediating and detecting photon-photon interactions

The development of a quantum platform that meets the requirements for quantum computation and quantum information has been a longstanding goal since the inception of the concepts. Photons have emerged as excellent candidates for carrying quantum information due to their inherent properties of cleanliness and resistance to decoherence. However, the lack of natural interactions between photons poses a challenge in achieving deterministic two-qubit gates. The creation of photon-photon interactions has therefore become of paramount importance both in the fields of fundamental physics and quantum technologies. While such interactions have been achieved using atomic-like quantum emitters strongly coupled to optical cavity modes, this approach presents fundamental challenges in terms of scalability and compatibility with quantum communications. In this dissertation, we propose a different approach that utilizes the bulk nonlinearity of dielectric materials. In the initial part of this dissertation, we focus on optimizing the second-order nonlinear coupling using a nonlinear InGaP photonic integrated circuit. Subsequently, I will introduce our approach of mediating and observing the photon-photon interactions. In our system, photons interact through weak χ(2) nonlinearity, resulting in the emergence of highly correlated quantum states of light. By carefully engineering the dissipation properties of the device, we can adjust the ratio between unscattered and scattered two-photon components in the output mode, leading to control over the photon statistics. We can achieve a wide range of quantum correlations, including repulsion, attraction, and tunneling behaviors. Our work paves the way for controlling quantum light by harnessing highly customizable weak bulk optical nonlinearities at the single-photon level. This breakthrough enables the generation of non-classical light with diverse statistical properties and also offers potential applications in nonlinear optical quantum information processing and quantum networking.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Zhao, Mengdi

Contributors dc:contributor

• Fang, Kejie
• Lorenz, Virginia
• Goldschmidt, Elizabeth
• Kwiat, Paul

• Nonlinear Photonics

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Mengdi Zhao

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122090

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F122090