Narrow-band single-photon emission in the near infrared for quantum key distribution

E. Wu (1, 2) , Vincent Jacques (1) , Heping Zeng (2) , Philippe Grangier (3) , François Treussart (1) , Jean-François Roch (1)

1 LPQM - Laboratoire de Photonique Quantique et Moléculaire
2 Key Laboratory of Optical and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
3 Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l'Institut d'Optique / Optique quantique

We report on the observation of single colour centers in natural diamond samples emitting in the near infrared region when optically excited. Photoluminescence of these single emitters have several striking features, such as a narrow-band fully polarized emission (FWHM 2 nm) around 780 nm, a short excited-state lifetime of about 2 ns, and perfect photostability at room temperature under our excitation conditions. We present a detailed study of their photophysical properties. Development of a triggered single-photon source relying on this single colour centre is discussed in the prospect of its application to quantum key distribution.

Mots clés: Photon statistics; single photon source; diamond colour centre; quantum cryptography

Domaines: Physique Quantique [quant-ph]

E. Wu, Vincent Jacques, Heping Zeng, Philippe Grangier, François Treussart, et al.. Narrow-band single-photon emission in the near infrared for quantum key distribution. Optics Express, 2006, 14 (3), pp.1296-1303. ⟨hal-00014015⟩