Two-Way Photonic Interface for Linking the Sr+ Transition at 422 nm to the Telecommunication C Band

Thomas A. Wright, Robert J. A. Francis-Jones, Corin B. E. Gawith, Jonas N. Becker, Patrick M. Ledingham, Peter G. R. Smith, Joshua Nunn, Peter J. Mosley, Benjamin Brecht, and Ian A. Walmsley

Journal
Physical Review Applied
Abstract

We report a single-stage bidirectional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped-ion qubits in a long-distance quantum network. Our interface converts photons between the Sr+ emission wavelength at 422 nm and the telecom C band to enable low-loss transmission over optical fiber. We have achieved both up- and down-conversion at the single-photon level with efficiencies of 9.4% and 1.1%, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrate noise levels that are low enough to allow for genuine quantum operation in the future.