Real-time observation of picosecond-timescale optical quantum entanglement towards ultrafast quantum information processing
Akito Kawasaki, Hector Brunel, Ryuhoh Ide, Takumi Suzuki, Takahiro Kashiwazaki, Asuka Inoue, Takeshi Umeki, Taichi Yamashima, A. Sakaguchi, Kan Takase, Mamoru Endo, Warit Asavanant, Akira Furusawa
Abstract
Entanglement is a fundamental resource for various optical quantum information processing (QIP) applications. To achieve high-speed QIP systems, entanglement should be encoded in short wavepackets. Here we report the real-time observation of ultrafast optical Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen correlation at a picosecond timescale in a continuous-wave system. Optical phase-sensitive amplification using a 6-THz-bandwidth waveguide-based optical parametric amplifier enhances the effective efficiency of 70-GHz-bandwidth homodyne detectors, mainly used in 5G telecommunication, enabling its use in real-time quantum state measurement. Although power measurement using frequency scanning, such as an optical spectrum analyser, is not performed in real time, our observation is demonstrated through the real-time amplitude measurement and can be directly used in QIP applications. The observed Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen states show quantum correlation of 4.5 dB below the shot-noise level encoded in wavepackets with 40 ps period, equivalent to 25 GHz repetition—103 times faster than previous entanglement observation in continuous-wave systems. The quantum correlation of 4.5 dB is already sufficient for several QIP applications, and our system can be readily extended to large-scale entanglement. Moreover, our scheme has high compatibility with optical communication technology such as wavelength-division multiplexing, and femtosecond-timescale observation is also feasible. Our demonstration is a paradigm shift in accelerating accessible quantum correlation—the foundational resource of all quantum applications—from the nanosecond to picosecond timescales, enabling ultrafast optical QIP. Optical Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen correlation is observed on a picosecond timescale in a continuous-wave system. By introducing waveguide optical parametric amplifiers and balanced detectors, the quantum correlation 4.5 dB below the shot-noise level is observed.