Effect of thickness variations of lithium niobate on insulator waveguide on the frequency spectrum of spontaneous parametric down-conversion

We study the effect of waveguide thickness variations on the frequency spectrum of spontaneous parametric downconversion in the periodically-poled lithium niobate on insulator(LNOI)waveguide.We analyze several variation models and our simulation results show that thickness variations in several nanometers can induce distinct effects on the central peak of the spectrum,such as narrowing,broadening,and splitting.We also prove that the effects of positive and negative variations can be canceled and thus lead to a variation-robust feature and an ultra-broad bandwidth.Our study may promote the development of on-chip photon sources in the LNOI platform,as well as opens up a way to engineer photon frequency state.

Quantum frequency down-conversion of single photons at 1552 nm from single InAs quantum dot

Near-infrared single photon sources in telecommunication bands, especially at 1550 nm, are required for long-distance quantum communication. Here a down-conversion quantum interface is implemented, where the single photons emitted from single In As quantum dot at 864 nm is down converted to 1552 nm by using a fiber-coupled periodically poled lithium niobate（PPLN） waveguide and a 1.95 μmm pump laser, and the frequency conversion efficiency is ~40%. The singlephoton purity of quantum dot emission is preserved during the down-conversion process, i.e., g^（（2））（0）, only 0.22 at 1552 nm.This present technique advances the Ⅲ-Ⅴ semiconductor quantum dots as a promising platform for long-distance quantum communication.

Time Evolution and Squeezing of Degenerate and Non-degenerate Coupled Parametric Down-Conversion with Driving Term

By properly selecting the time-dependent unitary transformation for the linear combination of the number operators, we construct a time-dependent invariant and derive the corresponding auxiliary equations for the degenerate and non-degenerate coupled parametric down-conversion system with driving term. By means of this invariant and the Lewis-Riesenfeld quantum invariant theory, we obtain closed formulae of the quantum state and the evolution operator of the system. We show that the time evolution of the quantum system directly leads to production of various generalized one- and two-mode combination squeezed states, and the squeezed effect is independent of the driving term of the Hamiltonian. In some special cases, the current solution can reduce to the results of the previous works.

Parametric down-conversion with local operation and two-way classical communication

The decoy-state quantum key distribution protocol suggested by Adachi et al. （Phys. Rev. Lett 99 180503 （2007）） is proven to be secure and feasible with current techniques. It owns two attractive merits, i.e., its longer secure transmission distance and more convenient operation design. In this paper, we first improve the protocol with the aid of local operation and two-way classical communication （2-LOCC）. After our modifications, the secure transmission distance is increased by about 20 km, which will make the protocol more practicable.

Intracavity Spontaneous Parametric Down-Conversion in Bragg Reflection Waveguide Edge Emitting Diode

A four-wavelength Bragg reflection waveguide edge emitting diode based on intracavity spontaneous parametric down-conversion and four-wave mixing （FWM） processes is made. The structure and its tuning characteris- tic are designed by the aid of FDTD mode solution. The laser structure is grown by molecular beam epitaxy and processed to laser diode through the semiconductor manufacturing technology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is applied to record wavelength information. Pump around 1.071 μm, signal around 1.77μm, idler around 2.71 μm and FWM signal around 1.35μm are observed at an injection current of 560mA. The influ- ences of temperature, carrier density and pump wavelength on tuning characteristic are shown numerically and experimentally.

Design of Software-Defined Down-Conversion and Up-Conversion: An Overview

In recent years, much attention has been paid to software-defined radio （SDR） technologies for multimode wireless systems SDR can be defined as a radio communication system that uses software to modulate and demodulate radio signals. This article describes concepts, theory, and design principles for SDR down-conversion and up-conversion. Design issues in SDR down-conversion are discussed, and two different architectures, super-heterodyne and direct-conversion, are proposed. Design issues in SDR up-conversion are also discussed, and trade-offs in the design of filters, mixers, NCO, DAC, and signal processing are highlighted.

Simple and practical method of characterizing the parametric down-conversion source

Parametric down-conversion（PDC） sources play an important role in quantum information processing, therefore characterizing their properties is necessary. Here we present a statistical model to assess the properties of the PDC source with certain distribution, such as the brightness and photon channel transmissions, we only need to measure the singles and coincidences counts in a few seconds. Furthermore, we validate the model by applying it to a PDC source generating highly non-degenerate photon pairs. The results of the experiment indicate that our method is more simple, efficient, and less time consuming.

A mini-review on rare-earth down-conversion nanoparticles for NIR-II imaging of biological systems

Rare-earth(RE)based luminescent probes exhibit rich optical properties including upconversion and down-conversion luminescence spanning a broad spectral range from 300 to 3,000 nm,and have generated great scientific and practical interest from telecommunication to biological imaging.While upconversion nanoparticles have been investigated for decades,down-conversion luminescence of RE-based probes in the second near-infrared(NIR-II,1,000-1,700 nm)window for in vivo biological imaging with sub-centimeter tissue penetration and micrometer image resolution has come into light only recently.In this review,we present recent progress on RE-based NIR-II probes for in vivo vasculature and molecular imaging with a focus on Er3+-based nanoparticles due to the down-conversion luminescence at the long-wavelength end of the NIR-II window(NIR-IIb,1,500-1,700 nm).Imaging in NIR-IIb is superior to imaging with organic probes such as ICG and IRDye800 in the^800 nm NIR range and the 1,000-1,300 nm short end of NIR-II range,owing to minimized light scattering and autofluorescence background.Doping by cerium and other ions and phase engineering of Er^3+-based nanoparticles,combined with surface hydrophilic coating optimization can afford ultrabright,biocompatible NIR-IIb probe towards clinical translation for human use.The Nd^3+-based probes with NIR-II emission at 1,050 and 1,330 nm are also discussed,including Nd^3+doped nanocrystals and Nd^3+-organic ligand complexes.This review also points out future directions for further development of multi-functional RE NIR-II probes for biological imaging.

Improving Ultraviolet Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells via Singlet Fission Down-Conversion

The instability of perovskite materials under continuous ultraviolet(UV)light irradiation and high sensitivity in humid environments remain obstacles to future commercialization.Especially,the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells(PVSCs)is prone to decline under UV light exposure for sustained periods of time.However,in conventional methods,preventing UV light from entering PVSCs usually comes at the expense of reducing short circuit photocurrent(Jsc).Herein,the UV stability of PVSCs is modified by in-troducing a singlet fission down-conversion layer 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene(TIPS-PEN)via one-step anti-solvent method without sacrificing device efficiency.The introduction of down conversion layer can not only improve the Jsc by converting UV light into multiple excitons,but also enhance the open-circuit voltage(Voc)owing to a better matched energy level alignment at the perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD interface.Consequently,the TIPS-PEN incorporated PVSCs attain the champion power conversion effi-ciency(PCE)up to 22.92%accompanied with dramatically increased UV photostability which can retain 80%of its primitive PCE un-der continuous UV light soaking for 150 h.Moreover,the unencapsulated PVSCs with TIPS-PEN exhibit remarkable moisture stability which can sustain over 80%of the initial value under air conditions(50%relative humidity,25℃)after 1000 h.

Visible-light emission properties of α-TeO_2:Ho^(3+)/Yb^(3+)/Eu^(3+) nanoparticles via both up-and down-conversion modes

In this study,α-TeO2：Ho3＋/Yb3＋,α-TeO2：Eu3＋ andα-TeO2：Ho3＋/Yb3＋/Eu3＋ nanoparticles were prepared via a simple hydrothermal process. The up- and down-conversion properties of the as-prepared nanoparticles were tested at room temperature un-der a near-infrared photo source （980 nm） and UV-vis photo source, respectively.The results indicated thatα-TeO2 NPs were a kind of outstanding host material for both up- and down-conversion luminescence. Theα-TeO2：Ho3＋/Yb3＋nanoparticles showed sharp up-conversion emission at 545 and 660 nm under 980 nm excitation, ascribed to the5S2→5I8 and5F5→5I8（Ho3＋） transitions, and weaker down-conversion emission at 545 nm under 455 nm excitation, ascribed to the5S2→5I8（Ho3＋） transitions. Theα-TeO2：Eu3＋nanoparticles showed strong down-conversion emission at 592 and 615 nm under 395 nm excitation, attributed to the5D0→7F1 and 5D0→7F2 （Eu3＋） transitions. Possessing the advantages of these two luminescent materials, the as-prepared tri-doped samples ofα-TeO2：0.5Ho3＋/10Yb3＋/3Eu3＋ （mol.%）nanoparticles could successfully emit visible light via both up- and down-conversion modes.

Phonon-phonon interaction and parametric down-conversion generation in multimode optomechanical systems

We studied the process of polariton conversion in a 3-mode nonlinear optomechanical system.Compared with the standard 2-mode optomechanical system,we find a much larger conversion rate of polariton modes can be achieved under typical dissipation conditions.To obtain a transparent understanding of the relevant physical process,we show that in the large detuned case,the cavity can be eliminated adiabatically,resulting in a parametric down-conversion(PDC)interaction between two phononic polariton modes.By tuning cavity detuning,the nonlinear interaction can be enhanced with the frequency-matching condition.Results from analytical treatment based on the effective PDC model agree with the numerical simulation.Such a system provides potential applications in nonlinear phononics.

Efficient Near-infrared Down-conversion Phosphor of Ce^(3+)/Yb^(3+)Co-doped La3Ga5SiO14 and Its Spectral Structural Modulation

A series of near-infrared(NIR)down-conversion phosphors of La_(3)Ga_(5)SiO_(14)(LGS):Ce^(3+)/Yb^(3+)were synthesized via high-temperature solid-state reaction.Under excitation at 345 nm,the phosphors show strong NIR emission around 978 nm,which matches well with the optimal spectral response of crystalline silicon(c-Si)solar cells.The emission spectra and decay curves were used to demonstrate the energy transfer from Ce^(3+)to Yb^(3+).The energy transfer mechanism was discussed in detail,indicating that the energy transfer from Ce^(3+)to Yb^(3+)is dominated by a single photon process,and the energy transfer efficiency is up to 51%.In addition,La_(3)Ga_(5-z)Al_(2)SiO_(14)(z=0,1,2,3):Ce^(3+)/Yb^(3+)were also synthesized.The NIR emission intensity of La_(3)Ga_(2)Al_(3)SiO_(14):1%Ce^(3+)/5%Yb^(3+)is 4.6 times that of LGS:1%Ce^(3+)/5%Yb^(3+),and the thermal relaxation was used to explain this phenomenon.The results show that La_(3)Ga_(5-z)Al_(2)SiO_(14)(z=0,1,2,3):1%Ce^(3+)/5%Yb^(3+)phosphors have the potential to increase the conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cells.

Down-conversion materials for organic solar cells:Progress,challenges,and perspectives

Organic solar cells(OSCs)in terms of power conversion efficiency(PCE)and operational lifetime have made remarkable progress during the last decade by improving the active layer materials and introducing new interlayers.The newly developed wide bandgap organic donor and low bandgap acceptor molecules covered the absorption from the visible to the near-infrared region.Whereas the incident high energy region(UV)is not in favor of OSCs.Its absorption causes thermalization losses and photoinduced degradation,which hinders the PCE and lifetime of OSCs.Recently,lanthanide and non-lanthanide-based down-conversion(DC)materials have been introduced,which can effectively convert the high-energy photons(UV)to low-energy photons(visible)and resolve the spectral mismatch losses that limit the absorption of OSCs in high energy incident spectrum.Furthermore,the DC materials also protect the OSCs from UV-induced degradation.The DC materials were also proposed to cross the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit of the solar cell.In this review,the need for DC materials and their processing method for OSCs have been thoroughly discussed.However,the main emphasis has been given to developing lanthanides and non-lanthanides-based DC materials for OSCs,their applications,and their impact on photovoltaic device performance,stability,and future perspectives.

Generation of broadband polarization-orthogonal photon pairs via the dispersion-engineered thin-film lithium niobate waveguide

Broadband photon pairs are highly desirable for quantum metrology,quantum sensing,and quantum communication.Such sources are usually designed through type-0 phase-matching spontaneous parametric down-conversion(SPDC)that makes the photon pairs hard to separate in the frequency-degenerate case and thus limits their applications.In this paper,we design a broadband frequency-degenerate telecom-band photon pair source via the type-II SPDC in a dispersion-engineered thin-film lithium niobate waveguide,where the polarization modes of photon pairs are orthogonal and thus are easily separated deterministically.With a 5-mm-long waveguide,our design can achieve a bandwidth of 5.56 THz(44.8 nm),which is 8.6 times larger than that of the bulk lithium niobate,and the central wavelength can be flexibly adjusted.Our design is a promising approach towards high-quality integrated photon sources and may have wide applications in photonic quantum technologies.

An optical scheme for conditional generation of W state and photon-added coherent state

We propose a simple scheme to generate an arbitrary photon-added coherent state of a travelling optical field by combining an array of degenerate parametric amplifiers and corresponding single-photon detectors. Particularly, when the single-photon-added coherent state is observed by developing the novel technique of Zavatta et al （2004 Science 306 660）, we can simultar/eously obtain the generalized N-qubit W state.

Adjusting the properties of the photon generated via an optical parametric oscillator by using a pulse pumped laser

The cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion far below threshold can be used to generate a narrow-band photon pair efficiently. Previous experiments on the cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down- conversion almost always utilize continuous wave pump light, but the pulse pumped case is rarely reported. One disadvantage of the continuous wave case is that the photon pair is produced randomly within the coherence time of the pump, which limits its application in the quantum information realm. However, a pulse pump can help to solve this problem. In this paper, we theoretically analyze pulse pumped cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down- conversion in detail and show how the pump pulse affects the multi-photon interference visibility, two-photon waveform, joint spectrum and spectral brightness.

High-efficiency and flexible photonic microwave harmonic down-converter based on self-oscillation optical frequency combs

Photonic microwave harmonic down-converters (PMHDCs) based on self-oscillation optical frequency combs (OFCs) are interesting because of their broad bandwidth compared with plain optoelectronic oscillators. In this paper, a high-efficiency and flexible PMHDC is proposed and demonstrated. The properties of the OFC, such as the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR),bandwidth and free spectral range (FSR), and the influence of optical injection, are investigated. The broadband OFC provides a frequency tunable and high-quality local oscillation (LO), which guarantees flexible down-conversion for the radio frequency (RF) signal. The sideband selective amplification (SSA) effect not only improves the conversion efficiency but also promotes single-sideband modulation. The conversion range can reach 100 GHz. The 12–40 GHz RF signal can be downconverted to intermediate frequency (IF) signals with a high conversion efficiency of 14.9 dB. The fixed 40-GHz RF signal is flexibly down-converted to an IF signal with the frequency from 55.4 to 2129.4 MHz. The phase noise of an IF signal at a frequency offset of 10 kHz is the same as that of the input RF signal. The PMHDC shows great performance and will find applications in radio-over-fiber (RoF) networks, electronic warfare receivers, avionics, and wireless communication systems.

Optical performance study of Sr_2ZnSi_2O_7:Eu^(2+),Dy^(3+), SrAl_2O_4:Eu^(2+),Dy^(3+) and Y_2O_2S:Eu^(3+),Mg^(2+),Ti^(4+) ternary luminous fiber

In this study, down-conversion fluorescent powder of Sr2ZnSi2O7：Eu-（2＋）,Dy-（3＋）, SrAl2O4：Eu-（2＋）,Dy-（3＋） and Y2O2S：Eu-（3＋）,Mg-（2＋）,Ti-（4＋）, which were the common three primary colors materials with long afterglow, were synthesized by high temperature solid state method. The blends of rare earth（RE） luminescent materials have been of interest to reinvest the luminescent characteristics of polyethylene terephtahalate（PET） luminous fiber. The scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and an inversion fluorescence microscope were used to characterize the surface morphology and the dispersion of inclusion. Through analysis of microcosmic morphology, three typical dispersions of luminescent particles were summarized. The X-ray diffraction indicated that the phase structure of fiber samples and crystal structure of luminescence materials kept complete after prilling and spinning. From the fluorescence spectra and CIE 1931 coordinates, it could be found that different combinations of luminous fibers were desired to obtain divers colors emission luminous fiber. And the fiber samples were a light sensation which could induct different excitation wavelengths and convert it down to different colors. The afterglow decay curve and its differential curve were summarized indicating the three decay stages. The decay curve and decay rate curve showed that the contents of Sr2ZnSi2O7：Eu-（2＋）,Dy-（3＋）, SrAl2O4：Eu-（2＋）,Dy-（3＋） and Y2O2S：Eu-（3＋）,Mg-（2＋）,Ti-（4＋） had obvious influence on the afterglow of fiber samples.

Embedding lead halide perovskite quantum dots in carboxybenzene microcrystals improves stability

The stability of lead halide perovskite quantum dots （PQDs） was improved by embedding them in carboxybenzene microcrystals. The resulting needle-shaped mixed microcrystals preserved the strong photoluminescence of the PQDs. Compared with previously reported polystyrene-encapsulated PQDs, the carboxybenzene crystals were robust and protected the dots from moisture and photodegradation. The enhanced stability was attributed to the tight matrix of carboxybenzene microcrystals, which protected the PQDs from moisture. This versatile strategy protected various QDs, including all-inorganic PQDs and chalcogenide QDs （e.g., CdSe/ZnS QDs and CuInS/ZnS QDs）. It provides a facile and versatile method of protecting PQDs and may enable applications in solid-state systems with high color quality requirements such as displays, lasers, and light emitting diodes.

Effects of Bi^(3+) on down-/up-conversion luminescence,temperature sensing and optical transition properties of Bi^(3+)/Er^(3+)co-doped YNbO_(4) phosphors

A series of YNbO_(4):Bi^(3+) and YNbO_(4):Bi^(3+)/Er^(3+) phosphors were prepared by a conventional high temperature solid-state reaction method.The results of XRD and Rietveld refinement confirm that monoclinic phase YNbO_(4)samples are achieved.The down-/up-conversion luminescence of Er^(3+) ions was investigated under the excitation of ultraviolet light(327 nm)and near infrared light(980 nm).Under 327 nm excitation,broad visible emission band from Bi^(3+) ions and characteristic green emission peaks from Er^(3+) ions are simultaneously observed,while only strong green emissions from Er^(3+) ions are detected upon excitation of 980 nm.Remarkable emission enhancement is observed in down-/up-conversion luminescence processes by introducing Bi^(3+) ions into Er^(3+)-doped YNbO_(4)phosphors.Pumped current versus up-conversion emission intensity study shows that two-photon processes are responsible for both the green and the red up-conversion emissions of Er^(3+)ion.Through the study of the temperature sensing property of Er^(3+) ion,it is affirmed that the temperature sensitivity is sensitive to the doping concentration of Bi^(3+) ions.By comparing the experimental values of the radiative transition rate ratio of the two green emission levels of Er^(3+) ions and the theoretical values calculated by Judd-Ofelt(J-O)theory,it is concluded that the temperature sensing property of Er^(3+) ions is greatly affected by the energy level splitting.