Abstract

Interference between two completely independent photons lies at the heart of many photonic quantum information applications such as quantum repeaters, teleportation, and quantum key distribution. Here, we report the observation of Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interference with two independent continuous-wave coherent light sources that are neither synchronized nor share any common reference. To prepare indistinguishable photons from two independent laser sources, we employ high-precision frequency-stabilization techniques using the 5S1/2(F=3)?5P1/2(F′=3) transition line of Rb85 atoms. We successfully observe an HOM interference fringe with two independent continuous-wave coherent photons originating from either the frequency-locked or the frequency-modulated lasers. An interference fringe involving two-photon beating is also observed when the frequency difference between the two interfering photons is beyond the spectral bandwidth of the individual coherent photons. We carry out further experiments to verify the robustness of the source preparation regardless of the separation distance between the two independent photon sources.

补充资料

DOI：10.1364/PRJ.393246

所属栏目：Quantum Optics

基金项目：National Research Foundation of Korea10.13039/501100003725;

收稿日期：2020-03-19

录用日期：2020-07-12

网络出版日期：2020-07-13

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联系人作者：Han Seb Moon(hsmoon@pusan.ac.kr)

备注：National Research Foundation of Korea10.13039/501100003725;

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引用该论文

Heonoh Kim, Danbi Kim, Jiho Park, and Han Seb Moon, "Hong–Ou–Mandel interference of two independent continuous-wave coherent photons," Photonics Research 8(9), 1491-1495 (2020)