arXiv subjects

Klaus D. Jöns

Publications and source records attributed to Klaus D. Jöns.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum Key Distribution with Entanglement-Swapped Photons from a Quantum Emitter

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a fundamental functionality of quantum networks. Extending its range requires quantum repeaters, a technology still under development and not yet demonstrated in combination with quantum cryptographic protocols. Here, we address the elementary operation of a viable quantum repeater scheme by evaluating whether correlated photons distributed via entanglement swapping can support secret key distribution. We employ a state-of-the-art deterministic photon source based on a strain-tuned GaAs quantum dot embedded in a photonic cavity and implement a source-independent QKD protocol between two nodes using entanglement-swapped photons. We benchmark the system and present how high-resolution temporal post-selection can enable secure key exchange, with further rate improvements expected through realistic device and protocol optimizations. Due to its compatibility with a wide range of quantum memory platforms, our approach represents a significant step towards long-distance quantum-safe communication.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Beyond Antibunching: Photon Correlation Analysis Reveals Blinking Origin

A variety of quantum emitters compete in the quest for the best single-photon source for photonic quantum technologies. Consequently, only a consistent approach to analyze the second-order auto correlation function allows comparison of the multi-photon contribution ($g^{(2)}(0)$) of different sources. However, the community employs different and inconsistent methods for blinking sources, leading to incomparable benchmarks of source quality. Here, we use the emission of an inherently non-blinking quantum dot (QD) and apply artificial blinking through two different mechanisms: masking the recorded raw data in post-processing and emulation of a blinking system by gating the laser excitation pulses. We then compare the $g^{(2)}(0)$ values with the non-blinking result. For the analysis, we investigate five estimators of $g^{(2)}(0)$ actively used in the literature. While fitting the envelope of the correlations on long-time scales with the correct blinking model is the best choice, normalizing to the Poisson level gives by far the worst proximity. Furthermore, we test our predictive model to identify the underlying blinking mechanism of a QD in a circular Bragg grating cavity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Industry-ready spin-photon interfaces for hybrid photonic quantum computing

Hybrid photonic quantum computers, combining stationary matter qubits and flying photonic qubits, offer an intrinsically networked and resource-efficient route to large-scale, error-corrected quantum computation. Their core components are cavity-coupled matter qubits that act as light--matter interfaces, enabling: high-efficiency on-demand single-photon generation, stable near-unity photon indistinguishability and spin--multi-photon entanglement. Semiconductor quantum dots in microcavities are a leading platform for realizing such devices. Yet reaching the performance, reproducibility and spin-coherence thresholds for large-scale error correction remains a major challenge requiring industrial fabrication and control. Here we report thousands of monolithic semiconductor quantum-dot devices fabricated using a III--V pilot production-line process compatible with large-scale deployment. Systematic control of source parameters yields state-of-the-art efficiency and supports a path to optical losses below fault-tolerance thresholds. Using field-quadrature state reconstruction as a stringent joint test of efficiency and indistinguishability, we observe near-unity photon quantum purity stable over tens of minutes and a record single-photon Wigner-function negativity. We further demonstrate seven-partite spin--multi-photon entanglement and spin coherence extendable to microsecond timescales in the low-magnetic-field regime. Finally, photons from distant sources are as indistinguishable as photons emitted successively by a single source. These results establish foundry-compatible III--V quantum dots as a scalable platform for hybrid photonic quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Meeting the Needs of the Global Quantum Science Community: A Call to Action

2025 marks one hundred years since the discovery of quantum mechanics. In the century since then, quantum science has blossomed into a global community composed of academics, engineers, developers, and entrepreneurs. The world is currently in the middle of the so-called second quantum revolution, with increased public awareness of quantum science and technology, and growing investment in both quantum hardware and software applications. However, representation remains low among historically marginalized groups: women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and people from the global south make up disproportionately few physicists. There are numerous efforts to improve diversity within quantum science, including through workforce development. But many of the changes enacted at the highest levels have failed to result in real change, as highlighted and discussed in the recent Women For Quantum Manifesto of Values. Here, we seek to echo and amplify the need for real change in the quantum ecosystem, emphasizing intersectionality and a feminist approach that centers the most vulnerable members of the quantum community: young students and researchers, especially those communities historically marginalized from quantum science. This report is our attempt to help quantum communities meet this need; we have conducted a survey of quantum scientists all over the world, and here we include both a preliminary report of our findings and policy suggestions we have built to address them. The primary results of our survey are that, 1) marginalized quantum scientists are experiencing hardships and challenges more than their more privileged peers across all metrics, 2) that this fact is hurting retention of diverse, talented quantum scientists in our field, and 3) quantum EDI is an investment in talent retention and resilience building, which are essential for a thriving, globally competitive quantum ecosystem.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2026

Cascaded Metasurface Interferometer for Multipath Interference with Classical and Quantum Light

Beamsplitters represent fundamental components in both classical and quantum optical systems, enabling the distribution of light, as well as the generation of interference, superposition and entanglement. However, optical networks constructed from conventional bulk 2x2-beamsplitters encounter inherent scalability issues, as the number of required beamsplitters scales quadratically with the number of optical modes for a fully connected network. Metasurfaces offer a promising route to overcome these constraints. By manipulating light at the wavelength scale compact optical components with advanced functionalities can be constructed, which address several modes simultaneously. In this work, we design and experimentally utilize a metasurface as a multiport beamsplitter. Furthermore, we realize a multimode interferometer composed of two cascaded metasurfaces. We characterize the individual and cascaded metasurfaces using classical light, showing controllable splitting ratios through tunable phase relations. We then expand the approach to quantum light, employing single photons to demonstrate second- and third-order photon correlations, as well as single photon interference across multiple spatial paths. These results establish metasurface-based multiport beamsplitters as a scalable and reconfigurable platform bridging classical and quantum photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

A systematic design approach for one-dimensional and crossed photonic nanobeam cavities for quantum dot integration

We present a systematic workflow for the design of one-dimensional photonic crystal nanobeam cavities with non-zero cavity lengths. By simultaneously optimizing the lattice periodicity, air-hole geometry, and cavity length, our approach enables precise control of optical confinement while mitigating radiative losses and linewidth broadening effects. The method is further extended to the design of crossed nanobeam cavities with both matching and mismatched resonance frequencies. This strategy significantly reduces the need for extensive parameter sweeps, providing an efficient route toward optimized cavity designs for integrated quantum photonic applications. Moreover, the resulting structures are inherently compatible with the integration of single-photon emitters.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Second harmonic study of thermally oxidized mono- and few-layer 2H-MoS2

A comprehensive study of second harmonic generation on thermally oxidized MoS2 flakes with thickness ranging from monolayer up to seven layers is presented. Observing the fundamental nonlinear behavior for non-treated and oxidized MoS2 reveals that oxidation causes significant changes in the second harmonic (SH) response for all investigated structures. Excitation power dependent measurements to analyze the nonlinear behavior with respect to the oxidation time show progressive oxidation within the maximum oxidation time of six hours, under the considered oxidation conditions. Here, polarization dependent measurements reveal the structural changes due to oxidation. Additionally, it is found that the oxidation depth is restricted to the top most layer and the oxidation behavior exhibits a layer dependency. These findings are supported by theoretical band structure calculations. The results demonstrate that the thermal oxidation progress of two dimensional MoS2 can be monitored with non-resonant and non-invasive SH microscopy, by following distinct fingerprints of structural modification in the nonlinear response.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

High-quality single photons from cavity-enhanced biexciton-to-exciton transition

Resonant laser excitation of a two-level system with subsequent single-photon emission can be used to generate single photons with high indistinguishability or Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) visibility. However, spectral overlap between excitation laser and emitted photons generally poses significant challenges. Furthermore, emitter re-excitation intrinsically limits achievable single-photon purity. Established solutions mitigate these issues at significant cost to source efficiency and with increased source complexity. This motivates the use of few-level systems with spectral separation of excitation and emission pathways. One option is a three-level cascade. However, without targeted lifetime engineering of emitting states, the cascade naturally limits achievable photon indistinguishability. Here we study a semiconductor quantum dot with resonant and selective cavity-enhancement of biexciton-to-exciton transition. Following resonant two-photon excitation of the biexciton state, we collect the emitted single photon with the cavity. This approach circumvents emitter re-excitation and naturally introduces spectral separation of excitation laser and emitted single photon. Supported by first experimental results, we demonstrate theoretically that with selective Purcell enhancement, the observed quality quantifiers of single-photon emission (purity, equivalently $g^{(2)}(0)$, and HOM visibility $\mathcal{V}$, equivalently indistinguishability) are competitive with respect to high-quality deterministic quantum-dot single-photon sources. This is already achieved without systematic optimization or targeted system engineering, which firmly places the reported approach as a viable route to the next generation of highest-quality quantum-dot based deterministic single-photon sources.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Indistinguishable photons from a two-photon cascade

Decay of a four-level diamond scheme via a cascade is a potential source of entangled photon pairs. A solid-state implementation is the biexciton cascade in a semiconductor quantum dot. While high entanglement fidelities have been demonstrated, the two photons, XX and X, are temporally correlated, typically resulting in poor photon coherence. Here, we demonstrate a high two-photon interference visibility (a measure of the photon coherence) for both XX (V=94$\pm$2%) and X (V=82$\pm$6%) photons. This is achieved by Purcell-enhancing the biexciton transition in a low-noise device. We find that the photon coherence follows the well-known quantum optics result upon tuning the XX:X lifetime ratio over two orders of magnitude.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Roadmap: 2D Materials for Quantum Technologies

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as a versatile and powerful platform for quantum technologies, offering atomic-scale control, strong quantum confinement, and seamless integration into heterogeneous device architectures. Their reduced dimensionality enables unique quantum phenomena, including optically addressable spin defects, tunable single-photon emitters, low-dimensional magnetism, gate-controlled superconductivity, and correlated states in Moiré superlattices. This Roadmap provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress and future directions in exploiting 2D materials for quantum sensing, computation, communication, and simulation. We survey advances spanning spin defects and quantum sensing, quantum emitters and nonlinear photonics, computational theory and data-driven discovery of quantum defects, spintronic and magnonic devices, cavity-engineered quantum materials, superconducting and hybrid quantum circuits, quantum dots, Moiré quantum simulators, and quantum communication platforms. Across these themes, we identify common challenges in defect control, coherence preservation, interfacial engineering, and scalable integration, alongside emerging opportunities driven by machine$-$learning$-$assisted design and integrated experiment$-$theory feedback loops. By connecting microscopic quantum states to mesoscopic excitations and macroscopic device architectures, this Roadmap outlines a materials-centric framework for integrating coherent quantum functionalities and positions 2D materials as foundational building blocks for next-generation quantum technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

All-photonic entanglement swapping with remote quantum dots

Entanglement swapping is a protocol that details how to create entanglement between previously uncorrelated particles. Its all-photonic version - mediated by the interference of photon pairs generated by separate quantum systems-finds disparate applications in quantum networks. So far, all-photonic entanglement swapping between remote systems has been implemented only using sources that operate probabilistically. However, the scaling up of quantum networks requires deterministic quantum emitters that do not suffer from a trade-off between degree of entanglement and photonpair generation rate. Here, we demonstrate all-photonic entanglement swapping using photon-pairs generated by two separate GaAs quantum dots. The emitters are deterministically embedded in hybrid semiconductor-piezoelectric devices that make the entangled-photons from two dissimilar quantum dots nearly identical. Entanglement swapping is demonstrated with a fidelity as high as 0.71(2), more than 10 standard deviations above the classical limit. The experimental data are quantitatively explained by a theoretical model that also suggests how to boost the protocol performances. Our work opens the path to the exploitation of quantum dot entangled-photon sources in quantum repeater networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Spectral correlations of dynamical Resonance Fluorescence

Frequency-filtered photon correlations have been proven to be extremely useful in grasping how the detection process alters photon statistics. Harnessing the spectral correlations also permits refinement of the emission and unraveling of previously hidden strong correlations in a plethora of quantum-optical systems under continuous-wave excitation. In this work, we investigate such correlations for time-dependent excitation and develop a methodology to compute efficiently time-integrated correlations, which are at the heart of the photon-counting theory, and subsequently apply it to analyze the photon emission of pulsed systems. By combining this formalism with the sensor method -- which facilitates frequency-resolved correlations -- we demonstrate how spectral filtering enhances single-photon purity and suppresses multi-photon noise in time-bin-encoded quantum states. Specifically, filtering the central spectral peak of a dynamically driven two-level system boosts temporal coherence and improves the fidelity of time-bin entanglement preparation, even under conditions favoring multi-photon emission. These results establish spectral filtering as a critical tool for tailoring photon statistics in pulsed quantum light sources.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

High-Fidelity Quantum Entanglement Distribution in Metropolitan Fiber Networks with Co-propagating Classical Traffic

The Quantum Internet, a network of quantum-enabled infrastructure, represents the next frontier in telecommunications, promising capabilities that cannot be attained by classical counterparts. A crucial step in realizing such large-scale quantum networks is the integration of entanglement distribution within existing telecommunication infrastructure. Here, we demonstrate a real-world scalable quantum networking testbed deployed within Deutsche Telekom's metropolitan fibers in Berlin. Using commercially available quantum devices and standard add-drop multiplexing hardware, we distributed polarization-entangled photon pairs over dynamically selectable fiber paths ranging from 10~m to 60 km, and showed entanglement distribution over up to approximately 100~km. Quantum signals, transmitted at 1324~nm (O-band), coexist with conventional bidirectional C-band traffic without dedicated fibers or infrastructure changes. Active stabilization of the polarization enables robust long-term performance, achieving entanglement Bell-state fidelity bounds between 85-99% and Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt parameter $S$-values between 2.36-2.74 during continuous multiday operation. By achieving a high-fidelity entanglement distribution with less than 1.5% downtime, we confirm the feasibility of hybrid quantum-classical networks under real-world conditions at the metropolitan scale. These results establish deployment benchmarks and provide a practical roadmap for telecom operators to integrate quantum capabilities.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Purcell-enhanced single-photon emission from InAs/GaAs quantum dots coupled to broadband cylindrical nanocavities

On-chip emitters that can generate single and entangled photons are essential building blocks for developing photonic quantum information processing technologies in a scalable fashion. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are attractive candidates that emit high-quality quantum states of light on demand, however at a rate limited by their spontaneous radiative lifetime. In this study, we utilize the Purcell effect to demonstrate up to a 38-fold enhancement in the emission rate of InAs QDs by coupling them to metal-clad GaAs nanopillars. These cavities, featuring a sub-wavelength mode volume of 4.5x10-4 (λ/n)3 and low quality factor of 62, enable Purcell-enhanced single-photon emission across a large bandwidth of 15 nm. The broadband nature of the cavity eliminates the need for implementing tuning mechanisms typically required to achieve QD-cavity resonance, thus relaxing fabrication constraints. Ultimately, this QD-cavity architecture represents a significant stride towards developing solid-state quantum emitters generating near-ideal single-photon states at GHz-level repetition rates.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

DFT-Assisted Investigation of the Electric Field and Charge Density Distribution of Pristine and Defective 2D WSe$_2$ by Differential Phase Contrast Imaging

Most properties of solid materials are defined by their internal electric field and charge density distributions which so far are difficult to measure with high spatial resolution. Especially for 2D materials, the atomic electric fields influence the optoelectronic properties. In this study, the atomic-scale electric field and charge density distribution of WSe$_2$ bi- and trilayers are revealed by using an emerging microscopy technique, differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). For pristine material, a higher positive charge density located at the selenium atomic columns compared to the tungsten atomic columns is obtained and tentatively explained by a coherent scattering effect. Furthermore, the change in the electric field distribution induced by a missing selenium atomic column is investigated. A characteristic electric field distribution in the vicinity of the defect with locally reduced magnitudes compared to the pristine lattice is observed. This effect is accompanied by a considerable inward relaxation of the surrounding lattice, which according to first principles DFT calculation is fully compatible with a missing column of Se atoms. This shows that DPC imaging, as an electric field sensitive technique, provides additional and remarkable information to the otherwise only structural analysis obtained with conventional STEM imaging.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Oscillating photonic Bell state from a semiconductor quantum dot for quantum key distribution

An on-demand source of bright entangled photon pairs is desirable for quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum repeaters. The leading candidate to generate entangled photon pairs is based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in a non-linear crystal. However, there exists a fundamental trade-off between entanglement fidelity and efficiency in SPDC sources due to multiphoton emission at high brightness, which limits the pair extraction efficiency to 0.1% when operating at near-unity fidelity. Quantum dots in photonic nanostructures can in principle overcome this trade-off; however, the quantum dots that have achieved entanglement fidelities on par with SPDC sources (99%) have poor pair extraction efficiencies of 0.01%. Here, we demonstrate a 65-fold increase in the pair extraction efficiency compared to quantum dots with equivalent peak fidelity from an InAsP quantum dot in a photonic nanowire waveguide. We measure a raw peak concurrence and fidelity of 95.3% $\pm$ 0.5% and 97.5% $\pm$ 0.8%, respectively. Finally, we show that an oscillating two-photon Bell state generated by a semiconductor quantum dot can be utilized to establish a secure key for QKD, alleviating the need to remove the quantum dot energy splitting of the intermediate exciton states in the biexciton-exciton cascade.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

On-demand indistinguishable and entangled photons using tailored cavity designs

The biexciton-exciton emission cascade commonly used in quantum-dot systems to generate polarization entanglement yields photons with intrinsically limited indistinguishability. In the present work we focus on the generation of pairs of photons with high degrees of polarization entanglement and simultaneously high indistinguishability. We achieve this goal by selectively reducing the biexciton lifetime with an optical resonator. We demonstrate that a suitably tailored circular Bragg reflector fulfills the requirements of sufficient selective Purcell enhancement of biexciton emission paired with spectrally broad photon extraction and two-fold degenerate optical modes. Our in-depth theoretical study combines (i) the optimization of realistic photonic structures solving Maxwell's equations from which model parameters are extracted as input for (ii) microscopic simulations of quantum-dot cavity excitation dynamics with full access to photon properties. We report non-trivial dependencies on system parameters and use the predictive power of our combined theoretical approach to determine the optimal range of Purcell enhancement that maximizes indistinguishability and entanglement to near unity values, here specifically for the telecom C-band at $1550\,\mathrm{nm}$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Coherent Quantum Interconnection between On-Demand Quantum Dot Single Photons and a Resonant Atomic Quantum Memory

Long-range quantum communication requires the development of in-out light-matter interfaces to achieve a quantum advantage in entanglement distribution. Ideally, these quantum interconnections should be as fast as possible to achieve high-rate entangled qubits distribution. Here, we demonstrate the coherent quanta exchange between single photons generated on-demand from a GaAs quantum dot and atomic ensemble in a $^{87}$Rb vapor quantum memory. Through an open quantum system analysis, we demonstrate the mapping between the quantized electric field of photons and the coherence of the atomic ensemble. Our results play a pivotal role in understanding quantum light-matter interactions at the short time scales required to build fast hybrid quantum networks.

quant-ph↗