Quantum Interference between Autonomous Single-Photon Sources from Doppler-Broadened Atomic Ensemble

Abstract

To realize a quantum network based on quantum entanglement swapping, bright and completely autonomous sources are essentially required. Here, we experimentally demonstrate Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) quantum interference between two independent bright photon pairs generated via the spontaneous four-wave mixing in Doppler-broadened ladder-type 87Rb atoms. Bright autonomous heralded single photons are operated in a continuous-wave (CW) mode with no synchronization or supplemental filters. The four-fold photon coincidence counts per hour correspond to 5000 events for a temporal range of 10 ns, one order higher than those of previously reported for autonomous single photons. We observe an HOM dip with 83% visibility with the two autonomous heralded single photons for an effective measurement time of 900 s. The achievement of the HOM interference between the two bright autonomous photon-pair sources has made an important step towards a practical scalable quantum network.

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