Flexible source of nondegenerate entangled photons based on a two-crystal Sagnac interferometer

Abstract

Sources of entangled photon pairs are a key component in both fundamental tests of quantum theory and practical applications such as quantum key distribution and quantum computing. In this work, we describe and characterize a source of polarization entangled photon pairs based on two spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) crystals in a Sagnac interferometer. Our source is compact and produces high-quality entangled states in a very flexible manner. The wavelengths of the photon pairs, around 810 and 1550 nm, the phase between orthogonal components of the entangled state, and the tangle of the state are all independently adjustable. In addition to presenting basic characterization data, we present experimental violations of CHSH and Leggett inequalities, as well as an instance of the "beautiful" Bell inequality, which has not previously been tested experimentally.