title: High-fidelity single-photon source based on a Type II optical parametric oscillator.
abstract: Using a continuous-wave Type II optical parametric oscillator below threshold, we have demonstrated a novel source of heralded single photons with high fidelity. The generated state is characterized by homodyne detection and exhibits a 79% fidelity with a single-photon Fock state (91% after correction of detection loss). The low admixture of vacuum and the well-defined spatiotemporal mode are critical requirements for their subsequent use in quantum information processing.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morin
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: D'Auria
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laurat