Towards a periodic deterministic source of arbitrary single-photon states

Abstract

We present an experimentally feasible scheme to create single photons deterministically out of a non-deterministic spontaneous parametric downconversion source. We give an efficiency analysis of obtaining exactly one photon in the output. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate a way to control the purity of an output photon using a partial measurement of a polarization-entangled photon pair, a partial implementation of remote state preparation. When combined, these two techniques could allow on-demand preparation of single photons in arbitrary states.