Efficient Ion-Photon Quantum Interface with Long-Working-Distance Exceeding 26 mm

Abstract:Trapped-ion quantum networks rely on efficient ion-photon interfaces, while objective-based free-space collection systems must balance high photon collection with sufficient working distance for practical integration with ion-trap hardware. Here, we design and characterize an ion-photon interface with a long working distance of 26.15 mm and a high numerical aperture of 0.5. The core of the interface is a photon-collection objective consisting of six commercial spherical lenses with optimized spacing. The interface achieved an overall fiber-coupled photon-detection efficiency of (1.29$\pm$0.09)% from the ion to the detector and maintains fiber coupling over several hours without active realignment, supporting stable operation of the ion-to-fiber interface. Photon-correlation measurements show clear antibunching in the fiber-coupled fluorescence, confirming the preservation of non-classical photon statistics. These results demonstrate a practical implementation of a long-working-distance photon collection interface for trapped-ion quantum network experiments.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph); Optics (physics.optics)

arXiv:2609.25598 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2609.25598v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.25598 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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