[8][9][10][11] . Here, we demonstrate on- as schematized in Fig. 1. In particular, we used a spectrally-filtered mode-locked laser to excite a single resonance of the microring at ~1550 nm wavelength, in turn producing pairs of correlated signal and idler photons spectrally-symmetric to the excitation field and which cover multiple resonances, see Fig. 1. The individual photons were intrinsically generated in a superposition of multiple frequency modes and owing the energy conservation of SFWM, this approach leads to the realization of a two-photon high-dimensional frequency-entangled state.We performed two experiments to characterize the dimensionality of the generated state. The large free spectral range (FSR) of the ring cavity (~200 GHz), i.e. the spectral separation between adjacent resonance modes, enabled us to use a commercially available telecommunications programmable filter (see Methods) for individually selecting and manipulating the states in these modes (given the filter's operational bandwidth of 1527.4 to 1567.5 nm, we were able to access 10 signal and 10 idler resonances). We measured the joint spectral intensity, describing the twophoton state's frequency distribution, see Methods. Specifically, we routed different frequency 4 modes of the signal and idler photons to two single photon detectors and counted photon coincidences for all sets of mode combinations. As shown in Fig. 2a, photon coincidences were measured only for mode combinations spectrally-symmetric to the excitation, a characteristic of frequency-entangled states. In addition, we evaluate the Schmidt number of our source. This parameter describes the lowest number of significant orthogonal modes in a bipartite system, and therefore describes its effective dimension. Through a Schmidt mode decomposition of the correlation matrix (see Methods), we extracted the lower bound for the Schmidt number to be 9.4, see Fig. 2b.Due to the narrow spectral linewidth of the photons (~800 MHz) and the related long coherence time (~0.6 ns), the effective time resolution of our full detection system (~100 ps) was sufficient to perform time-domain measurements and extract the maximal dimensionality of the state, seeMethods. Specifically, we measured the second-order coherence of the signal and idler fields using These measurements confirmed that one photon pair simultaneously spans multiple frequency modes, forming a high-dimensional entangled state of the form, with ∑| | 2 = 1 (Eq. 1).Here | ⟩ s and | ⟩ i are pure, single-frequency quantum states of the signal (s) and idler (i) photons, and k=1,2,…,D is the mode number, as indicated in Fig. 3 In general, the exploitation of quDit states for quantum information processing motivates the need for high-dimensional operations that enable access to multiple modes with a minimum number of components. While the individual elements (phase shifters and beam splitters) employed in the framework of spatial-mode quantum information processing usually operate on only one or two modes at a time 1 , the frequency...

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Abstract:The on-chip generation of large and complex optical quantum states will enable low-cost and accessible advances for quantum technologies, such as secure communications and quantum computation. Integrated frequency combs are on-chip light sources with a broad spectrum of evenly-spaced frequency modes, commonly generated by four-wave mixing in optically-excited nonlinear micro-cavities, whose recent use for quantum state generation has provided a solution for scalable and multi-mode quantum light sources. Pulsed quantum frequency combs are of particular interest, since they allow the generation of singlefrequency-mode photons, required for scaling state complexity towards, e.g., multi-photon states, and for quantum information applications. However, generation schemes for such pulsed combs have, to date, relied on micro-cavity excitation via lasers external to the sources, being neither versatile nor power-efficient, and impractical for scalable realizations of quantum technologies. Here, we introduce an actively-modulated, nested-cavity configuration that exploits the resonance pass-band characteristic of the micro-cavity to enable a mode-locked and energy-efficient excitation. We demonstrate that the scheme allows the generation of high-purity photons at large coincidence-to-accidental ratios (CAR). Furthermore, by increasing the repetition rate of the excitation field via harmonic modelocking (i.e. driving the cavity modulation at harmonics of the fundamental repetition rate), we managed to increase the pair production rates (i.e. source efficiency), while maintaining a high CAR and photon purity. Our approach represents a significant step towards the realization of fully on-chip, stable, and versatile sources of pulsed quantum frequency combs, crucial for the development of accessible quantum technologies.

Schmidt decomposition is a widely employed tool of quantum theory which plays a key role for distinguishable particles in scenarios such as entanglement characterization, theory of measurement and state purification. Yet, its formulation for identical particles remains controversial, jeopardizing its application to analyze general many-body quantum systems. Here we prove, using a newly developed approach, a universal Schmidt decomposition which allows faithful quantification of the physical entanglement due to the identity of particles. We find that it is affected by single-particle measurement localization and state overlap. We study paradigmatic two-particle systems where identical qubits and qutrits are located in the same place or in separated places. For the case of two qutrits in the same place, we show that their entanglement behavior, whose physical interpretation is given, differs from that obtained before by different methods. Our results are generalizable to multiparticle systems and open the way for further developments in quantum information processing exploiting particle identity as a resource.

The investigation of integrated frequency comb sources characterized by equidistant spectral modes was initially driven by considerations towards classical applications, seeking a more practical and miniaturized way to generate stable broadband sources of light. Recently, in the context of scaling the complexity of optical quantum circuits, these on-chip approaches have provided a new framework to address the challenges associated with non-classical state generation and manipulation. For example, multi-photon and high-dimensional states were to date either inaccessible, lacked scalability, or were difficult to manipulate, requiring elaborate approaches. The emerging field of quantum frequency combs studying spectral multimode Manuscript

The development of quantum technologies for quantum information (QI) science demands the realization and precise control of complex (multipartite and high dimensional) entangled systems on practical and scalable platforms. Quantum frequency combs (QFCs) represent a powerful tool towards this goal. They enable the generation of complex photon states within a single spatial mode as well as their manipulation using standard fiber-based telecommunication components. Here, we review recent progress in the development of QFCs, with a focus on results that highlight their importance for the realization of complex quantum states. In particular, we outline recent work on the use of integrated QFCs for the generation of high-dimensional multipartite optical cluster states -lying at the basis of measurement-based quantum computation. These results confirm that the QFC approach can provide a stable, practical, low-cost, and established platform for the development of quantum technologies, paving the way towards the advancement of QI science for out-of-the-lab applications, ranging from practical quantum computing to more secure communications. Index Terms-coherent control of photon states, computing and information science, fiber-based telecommunications, highdimensional multipartite entanglement, photon cluster states, photonic integrated circuits, practical and scalable quantum technology, quantum frequency combs.

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Multi-level (qudit) entangled photon states are a key resource for both fundamental physics and advanced applied science, as they can significantly boost the capabilities of novel technologies such as quantum communications, cryptography, sensing, metrology, and computing. The benefits of using photons for advanced applications draw on their unique properties: photons can propagate over long distances while preserving state coherence, and they possess multiple degrees of freedom (such as time and frequency) that allow scalable access to higher dimensional state encoding, all while maintaining low platform footprint and complexity. In the context of out-of-lab use, photon generation and processing through integrated devices and off-the-shelf components are in high demand. Similarly, multi-level entanglement detection must be experimentally practical, i.e., ideally requiring feasible single-qudit projections and high noise tolerance. Here, we focus on multi-level optical Bell and cluster states as a critical resource for quantum technologies, as well as on universal witness operators for their feasible detection and entanglement characterization. Time- and frequency-entangled states are the main platform considered in this context. We review a promising approach for the scalable, cost-effective generation and processing of these states by using integrated quantum frequency combs and fiber-based devices, respectively. We finally report an experimentally practical entanglement identification and characterization technique based on witness operators that is valid for any complex photon state and provides a good compromise between experimental feasibility and noise robustness. The results reported here can pave the way toward boosting the implementation of quantum technologies in integrated and widely accessible photonic platforms.