Abstract

Optically induced ultrafast switching of single photons is demonstrated by rotating the photon polarization via the Kerr effect in a commercially available single-mode fiber. A switching efficiency of 97% is achieved with a $\sim 1.7\mathrm{ps}$ switching time and signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim 800$. Preservation of the single-photon properties is confirmed by measuring no significant increase in the second-order autocorrelation function $g^{(2)}(0)$. These values are attained with only nanojoule-level pump energies that are produced by a laser oscillator with 80 MHz repetition rate. The results highlight a simple device capable of both high-bandwidth operations and preservation of single-photon properties for applications in photonic quantum processing and ultrafast time-gating or switching.

© 2019 Optical Society of America

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