arXiv subjects

Christoph Becher

Publications and source records attributed to Christoph Becher.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Telecom-compatible polarization-to-time-bin conversion of atom-photon entanglement for heterogeneous quantum networks

A key enabling feature of future quantum networks is interoperability between platforms that operate at different wavelengths and with different qubit encodings. We demonstrate an interface that converts atom-photon entanglement from polarization encoding at an atomic wavelength to time-bin encoding in the telecom C-band. Atom-entangled photons at 854 nm are generated from a single $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ion. After quantum frequency conversion to 1550 nm, the photonic polarization qubit is converted into a time-bin qubit using a fiber-based Mach--Zehnder-like encoder. Full quantum tomography of the final state verifies that the process preserves entanglement with 96.3(4.2)% fidelity. Together with the independent work of Ferrari et al. [arXiv:2607.07805 (2026)], this is the first demonstration of polarization-to-time-bin conversion of photons entangled with a single atomic quantum memory. The telecom-compatible interface enables robust qubit transmission over optical fibers and provides a key building block for heterogeneous quantum networking architectures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Highly indistinguishable photons from a tin-vacancy spin qubit in diamond

Quantum networks promise secure communication, distributed sensing and modular quantum computing by interconnecting distant quantum nodes through photonic links. Extending such networks beyond metropolitan distances requires quantum repeaters to overcome the exponential attenuation of photons in optical fiber. Across all architectures, a key requirement is the indistinguishability of single photons, which directly impacts the fidelity of photonic operations based on two-photon interference, such as Bell-state measurements and fusion gates. Here, we demonstrate generation of highly indistinguishable single photons from a coherently excited tin-vacancy center in diamond, achieving raw Hong-Ou-Mandel interference visibilities exceeding 0.95. By separating intrinsic emitter properties from technical imperfections, we show that decoherence plays a negligible role and that the remaining limitations are predominantly technical in nature, arriving at an intrinsic indistinguishability of up to 0.999. We further show that quantum frequency conversion to the telecom C-band preserves the photon indistinguishability. In combination with the long-lived electron and nuclear spin coherence times, these results establish tin-vacancy centers in diamond as a competitive platform for long-distance quantum networks and photonic quantum information processing. We further substantiate this potential through Monte Carlo simulations of a quantum-repeater link, demonstrating that the SnV-center platform surpasses the bound set by direct transmission.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quantum repeater segment with free-space coupled co-trapped ions using telecom photon interference

A quantum repeater segment is a basic building block of a quantum repeater, generating buffered entanglement of quantum memories to connect quantum repeater cells. It also enables the connection between quantum computers. In the implementation we present here, photons emitted from two co-trapped free-space coupled $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ions are converted to the telecom-C band and interfered after transmission over 440$\,$m of optical fiber (220$\,$m per arm), where a photonic Bell measurement is performed to create entanglement between the memories. With this scheme we generate an entangled $\left|\Psi^+\right\rangle$ Bell state with $\ge 68(8)\,$% fidelity, highlighting trapped $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ions as a promising quantum repeater hardware platform.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

High-fidelity control of a $^{13}$C nuclear spin coupled to a tin-vacancy center in diamond

Nuclear spins near group-IV defects in diamond are promising candidates for quantum memories in quantum network applications. Here, we demonstrate high-fidelity control of a single $^{13}$C nuclear spin coupled to a tin-vacancy (SnV) center in diamond. We perform a combination of optical and microwave pumping to achieve initialization into a combined electro-nuclear spin state with a fidelity of $99.74(3)\,\%$. Harnessing a superconducting waveguide for radio-frequency driving, we demonstrate precise nuclear spin control: Ramsey measurements reveal a coherence time of $T_2^* = 1.5(1)\,$milliseconds, and we use dynamical decoupling to extend it to $1.35(3)\,$seconds. We perform randomized benchmarking, yielding a single-qubit gate fidelity of $99.92(1)\,\%$. This demonstrates a coherent spin-photon system with promising properties for quantum network nodes.

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arXiv2025

The QTF-Backbone: Proposal for a Nationwide Optical Fibre Backbone in Germany for Quantum Technology and Time and Frequency Metrology

The recent breakthroughs in the distribution of quantum information and high-precision time and frequency (T&F) signals over long-haul optical fibre networks have transformative potential for physically secure communications, resilience of timing infrastructure (such as that supporting Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)) and fundamental physics. To date, these capabilities remain confined to isolated testbeds, with quantum and T&F signals accessible, for example in Germany, to only a few institutions. In this white paper we propose the QTF Backbone: a dedicated national fibre-optic infrastructure in Germany for the networked distribution of Quantum and T&F signals using dark fibres and specialised hardware. The QTF Backbone is planned as a four-phase deployment over ten years to ensure scalable, sustainable access for research institutions and industry. The concept builds on successful demonstrations of time and frequency distribution at high Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) across Europe, including PTB-MPQ links in Germany, REFIMEVE in France, and the Italian LIFT network. The QTF Backbone will enable transformative Research and Development (R&D), support a nationwide QTF ecosystem, and ensure the transition from innovation to deployment. As a national and European hub, it will position Germany and Europe at the forefront of quantum networking, as well as T&F transfer.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Medusa 84 SiH -- A novel high Selectivity Electron Beam Resist for Diamond Quantum Technologies

We investigate the novel electron beam resist Medusa 84 SiH by Allresist GmbH (Germany) for nanostructuring of single crystal diamond and its effects on the spin properties of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in nanopillars as prototypes for photonic structures. We find contrast curves comparable to those of resists previously used for this task (Hydrogensilsequioxane FOx). We present a minimum selectivity for diamond etching of 6$\pm$1. Using an adhesion-promoting silicon interlayer enables fabrication yields of up to 98\%. We measure $T_2$ times of up to $\sim$25 $\mu$s before and after processing, demonstrating that the manufactured structures are usable for diamond-based quantum sensing.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Quantum Teleportation with Telecom Photons from Remote Quantum Emitters

The quest for a global quantum internet is based on the realization of a scalable network which requires quantum hardware with exceptional performance. Among them are quantum light sources providing deterministic, high brightness, high-fidelity entangled photons and quantum memories with coherence times in the millisecond range and above. To operate the network on a global scale, the quantum light source should emit at telecommunication wavelengths with minimum propagation losses. A cornerstone for the operation of such a quantum network is the demonstration of quantum teleportation. Here we realize full-photonic quantum teleportation employing one of the most promising platforms, i.e. semiconductor quantum dots, which can fulfill all the aforementioned requirements. Two remote quantum dots are used, one as a source of entangled photon pairs and the other as a single-photon source. The frequency mismatch between the triggered sources is erased using two polarization-preserving quantum frequency converters, enabling a Bell state measurement at telecommunication wavelengths. A post-selected teleportation fidelity of up to 0.721(33) is achieved, significantly above the classical limit, demonstrating successful quantum teleportation between light generated by distinct sources. These results mark a major advance for the semiconductor platform as a source of quantum light fulfilling a key requirement for a scalable quantum network. This becomes particularly relevant after the seminal breakthrough of addressing a nuclear spin in semiconductor quantum dots demonstrating long coherence times, thus fulfilling another crucial step towards a scalable quantum network.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Fluorescence enhancement of single V2 centers in a 4H-SiC cavity antenna

Solid state quantum emitters are a prime candidate in distributed quantum technologies since they inherently provide a spin-photon interface. An ongoing challenge in the field, however, is the low photon extraction due to the high refractive index of typical host materials. This challenge can be overcome using photonic structures. Here, we report the integration of V2 centers in a cavity-based optical antenna. The structure consists of a silver-coated, 135 nm thin 4H-SiC membrane functioning as a planar cavity with a broadband resonance yielding a theoretical photon collection enhancement factor of 34. The planar geometry allows us to identify over 20 single V2 centers at room temperature with a mean (maximum) count rate enhancement factor of 9 (15). Moreover, we observe 10 V2 centers with a mean absorption linewidth below 80MHz at cryogenic temperatures. These results demonstrate a photon collection enhancement that is robust to the lateral emitter position.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

High fidelity distribution of triggered polarization-entangled telecom photons via a 36km intra-city fiber network

Fiber-based distribution of triggered, entangled, single-photon pairs is a key requirement for the future development of terrestrial quantum networks. In this context, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for deterministic sources of on-demand polarization-entangled photon pairs. So far, the best QD polarization-entangled-pair sources emit in the near-infrared wavelength regime, where the transmission distance in deployed fibers is limited. Here, to be compatible with existing fiber network infrastructures, bi-directional polarization-conserving quantum frequency conversion (QFC) is employed to convert the QD emission from \unit[780]{nm} to telecom wavelengths. We show the preservation of polarization entanglement after QFC (fidelity to Bell state $F_{\phi^+, conv}=0.972\pm0.003$) of the biexciton transition. As a step towards real-world applicability, high entanglement fidelities ($F_{\phi^+, loop}=0.945\pm0.005$) after the propagation of one photon of the entangled pair along a \unit[35.8]{km} field installed standard single mode fiber link are reported. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrate a second polarization-conversing QFC step back to \unit[780]{nm} preserving entanglement ($F_{\phi^+, back}=0.903\pm0.005$). This further prepares the way for interfacing quantum light to various quantum memories.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Demonstration of quantum network protocols over a 14-km urban fiber link

We report on the implementation of quantum entanglement distribution and quantum state teleportation over a 14.4-km urban dark-fiber link, which is partially underground, partially overhead, and patched in several stations. We characterize the link for its use as a quantum channel and realize its active polarization stabilization. Using a type-II cavity-enhanced SPDC photon pair source, a $^{40}$Ca$^{+}$ single-ion quantum memory, and quantum frequency conversion to the telecom C-band, we demonstrate photon-photon entanglement, ion-photon entanglement, and teleportation of a qubit state from the ion onto a remote telecom photon, all realized over the urban fiber link.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Microwave Control of the Tin-Vacancy Spin Qubit in Diamond with a Superconducting Waveguide

Group-IV color centers in diamond are promising candidates for quantum networks due to their dominant zero-phonon line and symmetry-protected optical transitions that connect to coherent spin levels. The negatively charged tin-vacancy (SnV) center possesses long electron spin lifetimes due to its large spin-orbit splitting. However, the magnetic dipole transitions required for microwave spin control are suppressed, and strain is necessary to enable these transitions. Recent work has shown spin control of strained emitters using microwave lines that suffer from Ohmic losses, restricting coherence through heating. We utilize a superconducting coplanar waveguide to measure SnV centers subjected to strain, observing substantial improvement. A detailed analysis of the SnV center electron spin Hamiltonian based on the angle-dependent splitting of the ground and excited states is performed. We demonstrate coherent spin manipulation and obtain a Hahn echo coherence time of up to $T_2 = 430\,\mu$s. With dynamical decoupling, we can prolong coherence to $T_2 = 10\,$ms, about six-fold improved compared to earlier works. We also observe a nearby coupling $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ spin which may serve as a quantum memory. This substantiates the potential of SnV centers in diamond and demonstrates the benefit of superconducting microwave structures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Spectral stability of V2 centres in sub-micron 4H-SiC membranes

Colour centres in silicon carbide emerge as a promising semiconductor quantum technology platform with excellent spin-optical coherences.However, recent efforts towards maximising the photonic efficiency via integration into nanophotonic structures proved to be challenging due to reduced spectral stabilities. Here, we provide a large-scale systematic investigation on silicon vacancy centres in thin silicon carbide membranes with thicknesses down to $0.25\,\rm\mu m$. Our membrane fabrication process involves a combination of chemical mechanical polishing, reactive ion etching, and subsequent annealing. This leads to highly reproducible membranes with roughness values of $3-4\,\rm\r{A}$, as well as negligible surface fluorescence. We find that silicon vacancy centres show close-to lifetime limited optical linewidths with almost no signs of spectral wandering down to membrane thicknesses of $0.7 \,\rm\mu m$. For silicon vacancy centres in thinner membranes down to $0.25\,\rm\mu m$, we observe spectral wandering, however, optical linewidths remain below $200\,\rm MHz$, which is compatible with spin-selective excitation schemes. Our work clearly shows that silicon vacancy centres can be integrated into sub-micron silicon carbide membranes, which opens the avenue towards obtaining the necessary improvements in photon extraction efficiency based on nanophotonic structuring.

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arXiv2023

Long-lived quantum memory enabling atom-photon entanglement over 101 km telecom fiber

Long-distance entanglement distribution is the key task for quantum networks, enabling applications such as secure communication and distributed quantum computing. Here we report on novel developments extending the reach for sharing entanglement between a single $^{87}$Rb atom and a single photon over long optical fibers. To maintain a high fidelity during the long flight times through such fibers, the coherence time of the single atom is prolonged to 7 ms by applying a long-lived qubit encoding. In addition, the attenuation in the fibers is minimized by converting the photon's wavelength to the telecom S-Band via polarization-preserving quantum frequency conversion. This enables to observe entanglement between the atomic quantum memory and the emitted photon after passing 101 km of optical fiber with a fidelity better than 70.8$\pm$2.4%. The fidelity, however, is no longer reduced due to loss of coherence of the atom or photon but in the current setup rather due to detector dark counts, showing the suitability of our platform to realize city-to-city scale quantum network links.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Two-stage, low noise quantum frequency conversion of single photons from silicon-vacancy centers in diamond to the telecom C-band

The silicon-vacancy center in diamond holds great promise as a qubit for quantum communication networks. However, since the optical transitions are located within the visible red spectral region, quantum frequency conversion to low-loss telecommunication wavelengths becomes a necessity for its use in long-range, fiber-linked networks. This work presents a highly efficient, low-noise quantum frequency conversion device for photons emitted by a silicon-vacancy (SiV) center in diamond to the telecom C-band. By using a two-stage difference-frequency mixing scheme SPDC noise is circumvented and Raman noise is minimized, resulting in a very low noise rate of $10.4 \pm 0.7$ photons per second as well as an overall device efficiency of $35.6\, \%$. By converting single photons from SiV centers we demonstrate the preservation of photon statistics upon conversion.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Calibration-Independent Certification of a Quantum Frequency Converter

We report on a method to certify a unitary operation with the help of source and measurement apparatuses whose calibration throughout the certification process needs not be trusted. As in the device-independent paradigm our certification method relies on a Bell test, but it removes the need for high detection efficiencies by including the single additional assumption that non-detected events are independent of the measurement settings. The relevance of the proposed method is demonstrated experimentally with the certification of a quantum frequency converter. The experiment starts with the heralded creation of a maximally entangled two-qubit state between a single $^{40}$Ca$^+$ ion and a 854$\,$nm photon. Entanglement preserving frequency conversion to the telecom band is then realized with a non-linear waveguide embedded in a Sagnac interferometer. The resulting ion-telecom photon entangled state is characterized by means of a Bell-CHSH test from which the quality of the frequency conversion is quantified. We demonstrate the successful frequency conversion with an average certified fidelity of $\geq 84\,\%$ and an efficiency $\geq 3.1\times 10^{-6}$ at a confidence level of $99\,\%$. This ensures the suitability of the converter for integration in quantum networks from a trustful characterization procedure.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Optical properties of SiV and GeV color centers in nanodiamonds under hydrostatic pressures up to 180 GPa

We investigate the optical properties of silicon-vacancy (SiV) and germanium-vacancy (GeV) color centers in nanodiamonds under hydrostatic pressure up to 180 GPa. The nanodiamonds were synthetized by Si or Ge-doped plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition and, for our experiment, pressurized in a diamond anvil cell. Under hydrostatic pressure we observe blue-shifts of the SiV and GeV zero-phonon lines by 17 THz (70 meV) and 78 THz (320 meV), respectively. These measured pressure induced shifts are in good agreement with ab initio calculations that take into account the lattice compression based on the equation of state of diamond and that are extended to the case of the tin-vacancy (SnV) center. This work provides guidance on the use of group-IV-vacancy centers as quantum sensors under extreme pressures that will exploit their specific optical and spin properties induced by their intrinsic inversion-symmetric structure.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Telecom Quantum Photonic Interface for a $^{40}$Ca$^+$ Single-Ion Quantum Memory

Entanglement-based quantum networks require quantum photonic interfaces between stationary quantum memories and photons, enabling entanglement distribution. Here we present such a photonic interface, designed for connecting a $^{40}$Ca$^+$ single-ion quantum memory to the telecom C-band. The interface combines a memory-resonant, cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) photon pair source with bi-directional polarization-conserving quantum frequency conversion (QFC). We demonstrate preservation of high-fidelity entanglement during conversion, fiber transmission over up to 40 km and back-conversion to the memory wavelength. Even for the longest distance and bi-directional conversion the entanglement fidelity remains larger than 95 % (98 %) without (with) background correction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Coherence of a charge stabilised tin-vacancy spin in diamond

Quantum information processing (QIP) with solid state spin qubits strongly depends on the efficient initialisation of the qubit's desired charge state. While the negatively charged tin-vacancy ($\text{SnV}^{-}$) centre in diamond has emerged as an excellent platform for realising QIP protocols due to long spin coherence times at liquid helium temperature and lifetime limited optical transitions, its usefulness is severely limited by termination of the fluorescence under resonant excitation [1,2,3]. Here, we unveil the underlying charge cycle of group IV-vacancy (G4V) centres and exploit it to demonstrate highly efficient initialisation of the desired negative charge state of single SnV centres while preserving long term stable optical resonances. We furthermore all-optically probe the coherence of the ground state spins by means of coherent population trapping and find a spin dephasing time of 5$μ$s. Additionally, we demonstrate proof-of-principle single shot spin state readout without the necessity of a magnetic field aligned to the symmetry axis of the defect.

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