Grant: Idea to Innovation

The present Idea to Innovation application proposes to build the prototype of an optical source specifically designed for the generation of pulsed quantum frequency combs and single-frequency-mode photons. Practically, such a non-classical source of light stems from a new active mode-locked laser scheme. Mode-locked lasers, emitting pulsed coherent light, form the foundation for various applications ranging from telecommunications, spectroscopy, metrology, to quantum optics. While many different mode-locking techniques have been demonstrated for the generation of pulsed quantum frequency combs, none of them has either exhibited a versatile or power-efficient behavior. Our invention, based on an intra-cavity actively mode-locked excitation scheme, will enable low-cost and accessible advances for quantum technologies, such as secure communications, through an implementation in Quantum Key Distribution or quantum computation systems. The source represents a significant step towards the realization of compact, stable, energy efficient and versatile sources of pulsed quantum frequency combs, crucial for a large-scale implementation. During the timeframe of the project, our efforts will be distributed as follows: (i) modelling of the actively mode-locked laser scheme, to allow the use of a large type of micro-cavities, (ii) experimental implementation and measurement of the laser performances, (iii) demonstration of the tunability of the photon pair generation rate, and iv) implementation in a Quantum Key Distribution experiment. Such a strategy will be developed by taking into account the standards of the photonics industry and by proposing a versatile equipment adapted to quantum cryptography but also quantum computation. Thanks to this Idea to Innovation application, and stemming from the fast evolution of the quantum market which demonstrates the great efforts made by the scientific community to bring quantum applications to the market, we intend to push forward the development of our invention with the aim of increasing the value of our intellectual property and enlarge the number of potential customers interested in our technology.