Picosecond Synchronization System for the Distribution of Photon Pairs through a Fiber Link between Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratories

• Published in: IEEE journal of quantum electronics 2023-08, Vol.59 (4), p.1-1
• Main Authors: Kapoor, Keshav, Xie, Si, Chung, Joaquin, Valivarthi, Raju, Pena, Cristian, Narvaez, Lautaro, Sinclair, Neil, Allmaras, Jason P., Beyer, Andrew D., Davis, Samantha I., Fabre, Gabriel, Iskander, George, Kanter, Gregory S., Kettimuthu, Rajkumar, Korzh, Boris, Kumar, Prem, Lauk, Nikolai, Mueller, Andrew, Shaw, Matthew, Spentzouris, Panagiotis, Spiropulu, Maria, Thomas, Jordan M., Wollman, Emma E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: C band; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; clock distribution; Clocks; fiber optics; L-band; Laboratories; O-band; Optical fiber amplifiers; Optical fiber networks; Optical switches; photon pair; Photonics; Photons; quantum communication; quantum network; quantum-classical coexisting; Raman noise; Raman scattering; Raman spectra; Reduction; Synchronism
• ISSN: 0018-9197; 1558-1713
• DOI: 10.1109/JQE.2023.3240756

We demonstrate a three-node quantum network for C-band photon pairs using 2 pairs of 59 km of deployed fiber between Fermi and Argonne National Laboratories. The C-band pairs are directed to nodes using a standard telecommunication switch and the detection system is synchronized to picosecond-scale timing resolution using a coexisting O- or L-band optical clock distribution system.We measure a reduction of coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR) of the C-band pairs from 51 ± 2 to 5.3 ± 0.4 due to Raman scattering of the O-band clock pulses. Despite this reduction, the CAR is nevertheless suitable for quantum networks.