Plasmon-enhanced single photon source directly coupled to an optical fiber

Abstract

A bright source of fiber-coupled, polarized single photons is an essential component of any realistic quantum network based on today's existing fiber infrastructure. Here, we develop a Purcell-enhanced, polarized source of single photons at room temperature by coupling single colloidal quantum dots to the localized surface plasmon-polariton modes of single gold nanorods, combined on the surface of an optical nanofiber. A maximum enhancement of the photon emission rate of 62 times was measured corresponding to a degree of polarization of 85%, and a brightness enhancement of four times in the fiber mode. Evanescent coupling of photons to the nanofiber guided modes ensures automatic coupling to a single mode fiber. Our technique opens the way to realizing bright sources of polarized single photons connected to fiber networks using a simple composite technique.