Frequency-multiplexed Hong-Ou-Mandel interference

Abstract

The implementation of quantum repeaters needed for long-distance quantum communication requires the generation of quantum entanglement distributed among the elementary links. These entanglements must be swapped among the quantum repeaters through Bell-state measurements. This study aims to improve the entanglement generation rate by frequency multiplexing the Bell-state measurements. As a preliminary step of the frequency-multiplexed Bell-state measurements, three frequency modes are mapped to a temporal mode by an atomic frequency comb prepared in $\mathrm{Pr^{3+}}$ ion-doped $\mathrm{Y_2SiO_5}$ crystals using a weak coherent state, and Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, which is a measure of the indistinguishability of two inputs, is observed in each frequency mode by coincidence detection. The visibility for all the modes was 40%-42% (theoretically up to 50%). Furthermore, we show that a mixture of different modes is avoided. The present results are connected to frequency-selective Bell-state measurements and therefore frequency-multiplexed quantum repeaters.