Nature Nanotechnology, Vol.14, No.1, 23-+, 2019
Two-photon interference in the telecom C-band after frequency conversion of photons from remote quantum emitters
Efficient fibre-based long-distance quantum communication via quantum repeaters relies on deterministic single-photon sources at telecom wavelengths, potentially exploiting the existing world-wide infrastructures. For upscaling the experimental complexity in quantum networking, two-photon interference (TPI) of remote non-classical emitters in the low-loss telecom bands is of utmost importance. Several experiments have been conducted regarding TPI of distinct emitters, for example, using trapped atoms(1), ions(2), nitrogen vacancy centres(3,4), silicon vacancy centres(5), organic molecules(6) and semiconductor quantum dots(7,8). However, the spectral range was far from the highly desirable telecom C-band. Here, we exploit quantum frequency conversion to realize TPI at 1,550 nm with single photons stemming from two remote quantum dots. We thereby prove quantum frequency conversion(9-11) as a bridging technology and a precise and stable mechanism to erase the frequency difference between independent emitters. On resonance, a TPI visibility of 29 +/- 3% has been observed, limited only by the spectral diffusion processes of the individual quantum dots(12,13). The local fibre network used covers several rooms between two floors of the building. Even the addition of up to 2 km of fibre channel shows no influence on the TPI visibility, proving the photon wavepacket distortion to be negligible. Our studies pave the way to establish long-distance entanglement distribution between remote solidstate emitters including interfaces with various quantum hybrid systems(14-16).