We present a time-multiplexed interferometer based on Faraday mirrors, and apply it to quantum key distribution. The interfering pulses follow exactly the same spatial path, ensuring very high stability and self balancing. Use of Faraday mirrors compensates automatically any birefringence effects and polarization dependent losses in the transmitting fiber. First experimental results show a fringe visibility of 0.9984 for a 23km-long interferometer, based on installed telecom fibers.
@article{arxiv.quant-ph/9611042,
title = {``Plug and play'' systems for quantum cryptography},
author = {A. Muller and T. Herzog and B. Huttner and W. Tittel and H. Zbinden and N. Gisin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/9611042},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
LaTex, 6 pages, with 2 Postscript figures, Submitted to Applied Physics Letters