Thorlabs has introduced the latest addition to its product lineup for the field of quantum photonics, a correlated photon-pair source. The availability of a robust, high-brightness photon source is critical to the quantum photonics community for any number of applications spanning from fundamental photon-matter interaction to device characterisation.
The design uses a user-adjustable and fully integrated 405nm pump source on the front end of a spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) device to produce greater than 450kHz photon pairs at 810nm. Various design considerations were evaluated to produce a best-in-class (greater than 0.45) heralding ratio for use as a heralded single-photon source without sacrificing pair production rates.
The results of these efforts, born out of a collaboration with researchers in academia and private industry, is a fully turnkey, cost-effective solution that is unique in the market. The photon pair (signal and idler) produced in the SPDC process is conveniently fibre coupled out of the compact room-temperature housing for plug-andplay usage.
