Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Polarization modulation method of photonic pulses for generating quantum cryptographic keys, and related polarization modulator
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Application No.: US17769472Application Date: 2020-10-20
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Publication No.: US12028113B2Publication Date: 2024-07-02
- Inventor: Giuseppe Vallone , Costantino Agnesi , Marco Avesani , Paolo Villoresi
- Applicant: UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
- Applicant Address: IT Padua
- Assignee: UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
- Current Assignee: UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
- Current Assignee Address: IT Padua
- Agency: Volpe Koenig
- Priority: IT 2019000019373 2019.10.21
- International Application: PCT/EP2020/079471 2020.10.20
- International Announcement: WO2021/078723A 2021.04.29
- Date entered country: 2022-04-15
- Main IPC: H04B10/00
- IPC: H04B10/00 ; H04B10/532 ; H04B10/70 ; H04L9/08 ; H04J14/00

Abstract:
A polarization modulation method of photonic pulses, in particular for generating quantum cryptographic keys, ensures an optimum stability of the outgoing polarization states, and comprises the steps of: generating a plurality of photonic pulses with an unspecified polarization state obtained by the overlapping of both the horizontal and vertical polarization modes thereof, and routing them in a first polarization-maintaining fiber; splitting said horizontal and vertical polarization modes and routing them in respective terminals of a second polarization-maintaining fiber forming a ring, whereby they travel such ring clockwise and counter-clockwise respectively, or vice versa; inducing a respective phase modulation (oe, ol) of both said polarization modes, in one point of said ring which is spaced from said terminals by optical paths having different length along said ring, thereby a polarization-maintaining fiber delay line is determined; and recombining said polarization modes in one single photonic pulse beam, and routing the resulting beam through said first polarization-maintaining fiber, by obtaining, at the output thereof, a polarization state of the pulses depending upon the difference between said phase modulations (oe, ol).
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