Photon temporal modes: A complete framework for quantum information science

Abstract

Field-orthogonal temporal modes of photonic quantum states provide a new framework for quantum information science (QIS). They intrinsically span a high-dimensional Hilbert space and lend themselves to integration into existing single-mode fiber communication networks. We show that the three main requirements to construct a valid framework for QIS-the controlled generation of resource states, the targeted and highly efficient manipulation of temporal modes, and their efficient detection-can be fulfilled with current technology. We suggest implementations of diverse QIS applications based on this complete set of building blocks.