Multidimensional entanglement transport through single-mode fiber
Jun Liu, Isaac Nape, Qianke Wang, Adam Vallés, Jian Wang, Andrew Forbes
Abstract
The global quantum network requires the distribution of entangled states over long distances, with substantial advances already demonstrated using polarization. While Hilbert spaces with higher dimensionality, e.g., spatial modes of light, allow higher information capacity per photon, such spatial mode entanglement transport requires custom multimode fiber and is limited by decoherence-induced mode coupling. Here, we circumvent this by transporting multidimensional entangled states down conventional single-mode fiber (SMF). By entangling the spin-orbit degrees of freedom of a biphoton pair, passing the polarization (spin) photon down the SMF while accessing multiple orbital angular momentum (orbital) subspaces with the other, we realize multidimensional entanglement transport. We show high-fidelity hybrid entanglement preservation down 250 m SMF across multiple 2 × 2 dimensions, confirmed by quantum state tomography, Bell violation measures, and a quantum eraser scheme. This work offers an alternative approach to spatial mode entanglement transport that facilitates deployment in legacy networks across conventional fiber.