Nuclear spins near group-IV defects in diamond are promising candidates for quantum memories in quantum network applications. Here, we demonstrate high-fidelity control of a single ^{13}C nuclear spin coupled to a tin-vacancy center in diamond. We perform a combination of optical and microwave pumping to achieve initialization into a combined electronuclear spin state with a fidelity of 99.74(3)%. Harnessing a superconducting waveguide for radio-frequency driving, we demonstrate precise nuclear-spin control: Ramsey measurements reveal a coherence time of T_{2}^{*}=1.5(1) ms, and we use dynamical decoupling to extend it to 1.35(3) s. We perform randomized benchmarking, yielding a single-qubit gate fidelity of 99.92(1)%. This demonstrates a coherent spin-photon system with promising properties for quantum network nodes.

Quantum networks promise secure communication, distributed sensing and modular quantum computing by interconnecting distant quantum nodes through photonic links. Extending such networks beyond metropolitan distances requires quantum repeaters to overcome the exponential attenuation of photons in optical fiber. Across all architectures, a key requirement is the indistinguishability of single photons, which directly impacts the fidelity of photonic operations based on two-photon interference, such as Bell-state measurements and fusion gates. Here, we demonstrate generation of highly indistinguishable single photons from a coherently excited tin-vacancy center in diamond, achieving raw Hong-Ou-Mandel interference visibilities exceeding 0.95. By separating intrinsic emitter properties from technical imperfections, we show that decoherence plays a negligible role and that the remaining limitations are predominantly technical in nature, arriving at an intrinsic indistinguishability of up to 0.999. We further show that quantum frequency conversion to the telecom C-band preserves the photon indistinguishability. In combination with the long-lived electron and nuclear spin coherence times, these results establish tin-vacancy centers in diamond as a competitive platform for long-distance quantum networks and photonic quantum information processing. We further substantiate this potential through Monte Carlo simulations of a quantum-repeater link, demonstrating that the SnV-center platform surpasses the bound set by direct transmission.

A key enabling feature of future quantum networks is interoperability between platforms that operate at different wavelengths and with different qubit encodings. We demonstrate an interface that converts atom-photon entanglement from polarization encoding at an atomic wavelength to time-bin encoding in the telecom C-band. Atom-entangled photons at 854 nm are generated from a single ^40Ca^+ ion. After quantum frequency conversion to 1550 nm, the photonic polarization qubit is converted into a time-bin qubit using a fiber-based Mach–Zehnder-like encoder. Full quantum tomography of the final state verifies that the process preserves entanglement with 96.3(4.2)

The recent breakthroughs in the distribution of quantum information and high-precision time and frequency (T F) signals over long-haul optical fibre networks have transformative potential for physically secure communications, resilience of timing infrastructure (such as that supporting Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)) and fundamental physics. To date, these capabilities remain confined to isolated testbeds, with quantum and T F signals accessible, for example in Germany, to only a few institutions. In this white paper we propose the QTF Backbone: a dedicated national fibre-optic infrastructure in Germany for the networked distribution of Quantum and T F signals using dark fibres and specialised hardware. The QTF Backbone is planned as a four-phase deployment over ten years to ensure scalable, sustainable access for research institutions and industry. The concept builds on successful demonstrations of time and frequency distribution at high Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) across Europe, including PTB–MPQ links in Germany, REFIMEVE in France, and the Italian LIFT network. The QTF Backbone will enable transformative Research and Development (R D), support a nationwide QTF ecosystem, and ensure the transition from innovation to deployment. As a national and European hub, it will position Germany and Europe at the forefront of quantum networking, as well as T F transfer.

A quantum repeater segment is a basic building block of a quantum repeater, generating buffered entanglement of quantum memories to connect quantum repeater cells. It also enables the connection between quantum computers. In the implementation we present here, photons emitted from two co-trapped free-space coupled ^40Ca^+ ions are converted to the telecom-C band and interfered after transmission over 440m of optical fiber (220m per arm), where a photonic Bell measurement is performed to create entanglement between the memories. With this scheme we generate an entangled |Ψ^+⟩ Bell state with ≥ 68(8)

Color centers are promising single-photon emitters owing to their operation at room temperature and high photostability. In particular, using nanodiamonds as a host material is of interest for sensing and metrology. Furthermore, being a solid-state system allows for incorporation to photonic systems to tune both the emission intensity and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and therefore adapt the individual color center to desired properties. We show successful coupling of a single nanodiamond hosting silicon-vacancy color centers to a plasmonic double bowtie antenna structure. To predict the spectrum of the coupled system, the PL spectrum of the silicon vacancy centers was measured before the coupling process and convoluted with the antenna resonance spectrum. After transferring the nanodiamond to the antenna the combined spectrum was measured again. The measurement agrees well with the calculated prediction of the coupled system and therefore confirms successful coupling.

We report spin control of a tin vacancy center in diamond and observe a coherence time of up to 10 ms. We also control a nearby carbon nuclear spin with up to 1 s coherence. Finally, we incorporate SnV centers in a microcavity and achieve a cooperativity of 0.3, substantiating the potential of SnV centers in diamond for quantum network nodes.

AlGaAs Bragg reflection waveguides are promising systems for the generation of single and entangled photons through the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) [1]. We use a type II SPDC process where the downconverted photons are orthogonally polarized. The produced photons are inherently polarization-entangled eliminating the need for any additional entanglement setup. The material AlGaAs is our preferred choice as a nonlinear medium because it features a high nonlinear coefficient allowing for room temperature operation and has the advantage of being a non-birefringent material. Further, the material platform allows for the direct integration of a pump laser into the same chip.

We present a GaSb-based vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) tailored as a low-noise pump source for quantum frequency conversion. The 2062.4 nm emitting VECSEL emits a single-frequency output power of 2.5 W in a linear cavity with an intracavity birefringent filter. With no additional means of wavelength stabilization, the emission wavelength drift over 15 hours was less than 7 pm after the initial thermalization period. After locking the VECSEL to a frequency comb, the beating frequency between the laser and the comb light was characterized. The measurement confirmed a linewidth of less than 350 kHz (FWHM), and the absolute wavelength deviation over 22 hours had a standard deviation of 103.6 kHz. Relative intensity noise (RIN) measurements showed an integrated RIN of 0.15% root mean squared (RMS). (c) 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0293416

We investigate the novel electron beam resist Medusa 84 SiH by Allresist GmbH (Germany) for nanostructuring of single crystal diamond and its effects on the spin properties of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in nanopillars as prototypes for photonic structures. We find contrast curves comparable to previously employed resists (Hydrogen silsequioxane FOx). We present a selectivity for diamond etching of 11 to 12. Using an adhesion-promoting silicon interlayer potentially enables fabrication yields of up to 96 T_2 times of up to ∼ 25 μ s before and after processing, demonstrating that the manufactured structures are usable for diamond-based quantum sensing.

A global quantum internet is based on scalable networks, which require reliable quantum hardware. Among them are quantum light sources providing deterministic, high-brightness, high-fidelity entangled photons and quantum memories with coherence times exceeding the millisecond range. Long-distance operation demands quantum light sources emitting at telecommunication wavelengths. A cornerstone for such networks is the demonstration of quantum teleportation. Here, we realize full-photonic quantum teleportation employing semiconductor quantum dots, which can fulfill all the aforementioned requirements. Two remote GaAs quantum dots, emitting in the near-infrared, are used: one as an entangled-photon pair source and the other as a single-photon source. During the experiment, the single photon is prepared in conjugate polarization states and interfaced with the biexciton emission of the entangled pair employing a polarization-selective Bell state measurement. This process teleports the respective polarization state onto the exciton emission of the entangled pair. The frequency mismatch between the triggered sources is erased using two polarization-preserving quantum frequency converters, enabling remote two-photon interference at telecommunication wavelengths, yielding a visibility of 30(1)%. A post-selected teleportation fidelity up to 0.721(33), significantly above the classical limit, demonstrates successful quantum teleportation between light from distinct sources. These results mark an important development for semiconductor-based quantum light sources.

SummaryScalable quantum communication relies on transferring entangled photons (flying qubits) between distant nodes via fiber networks in the telecom C-band to minimize fiber loss. Quantum frequency conversion bridges VIS/NIR photon emission from stationary qubits to telecom wavelengths, with laser synchronization via optical frequency combs ensuring precise wavelength matching. Using an absolutely referenced, tunable OPO and coherent frequency conversion, we demonstrate a setup for matching the photon wavelengths of Ca⁺ ions and SnV centers, transmitted over a 14 km fiber link.

We report on a method to certify a unitary operation with the help of source and measurement apparatuses whose calibration throughout the certification process needs not be trusted. As in the device-independent paradigm our certification method relies on a Bell test and requires no assumption on the underlying Hilbert space dimension, but it removes the need for high detection efficiencies by including the single additional assumption that non-detected events are independent of the measurement settings. The relevance of the proposed method is demonstrated experimentally by bounding the unitarity of a quantum frequency converter. The experiment starts with the heralded creation of a maximally entangled two-qubit state between a single 40Ca+ ion and a 854 nm photon. Entanglement preserving frequency conversion to the telecom band is then realized with a non-linear waveguide embedded in a Sagnac interferometer. The resulting ion-telecom photon entangled state is assessed by means of a Bell-CHSH test from which the quality of the frequency conversion is quantified. We demonstrate frequency conversion with an average certified fidelity of ≥84% and an efficiency ≥3.1 × 10−6 at a confidence level of 99%. This ensures the suitability of the converter for integration in quantum networks from a trustful characterization procedure.

Fiber-based distribution of triggered, entangled, single-photon pairs is a key requirement for the future development of terrestrial quantum networks. In this context, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for deterministic sources of on-demand polarization-entangled photon pairs. So far, the best QD polarization-entangled-pair sources emit in the near-infrared wavelength regime, where the transmission distance in deployed fibers is limited. Here, to be compatible with existing fiber network infrastructures, bi-directional polarization-conserving quantum frequency conversion (QFC) is employed to convert the QD emission from 780 nm to telecom wavelengths. We show the preservation of polarization entanglement after QFC (fidelity to Bell state F phi+,conv = 0.972 +/- 0.003) of the biexciton transition. As a step toward real-world applicability, high entanglement fidelities (F phi+,loop = 0.945 +/- 0.005) after the propagation of one photon of the entangled pair along a 35.8 km field-installed standard single mode fiber link are reported. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrate a second polarization-conserving QFC step back to 780 nm preserving entanglement (F phi+,back = 0.903 +/- 0.005). This further prepares the way for interfacing quantum light to various quantum memories. Published by Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Colour centres in silicon carbide emerge as a promising semiconductor quantum technology platform with excellent spin-optical coherences.However, recent efforts towards maximising the photonic efficiency via integration into nanophotonic structures proved to be challenging due to reduced spectral stabilities. Here, we provide a large-scale systematic investigation on silicon vacancy centres in thin silicon carbide membranes with thicknesses down to $0.25\,\rm\mu m$. Our membrane fabrication process involves a combination of chemical mechanical polishing, reactive ion etching, and subsequent annealing. This leads to highly reproducible membranes with roughness values of $3-4\,\rm\r{A}$, as well as negligible surface fluorescence. We find that silicon vacancy centres show close-to lifetime limited optical linewidths with almost no signs of spectral wandering down to membrane thicknesses of $0.7 \,\rm\mu m$. For silicon vacancy centres in thinner membranes down to $0.25\,\rm\mu m$, we observe spectral wandering, however, optical linewidths remain below $200\,\rm MHz$, which is compatible with spin-selective excitation schemes. Our work clearly shows that silicon vacancy centres can be integrated into sub-micron silicon carbide membranes, which opens the avenue towards obtaining the necessary improvements in photon extraction efficiency based on nanophotonic structuring.

We report on the implementation of quantum entanglement distribution and quantum state teleportation over a 14.4-km urban dark-fiber link, which is partially underground, partially overhead, and patched in several stations. We characterize the link for its use as a quantum channel and realize its active polarization stabilization. Using a type-II cavity-enhanced SPDC photon pair source, a $^{40}$Ca$^{+}$ single-ion quantum memory, and quantum frequency conversion to the telecom C-band, we demonstrate photon-photon entanglement, ion-photon entanglement, and teleportation of a qubit state from the ion onto a remote telecom photon, all realized over the urban fiber link.

Group-IV color centers in diamond are promising candidates for quantum networks due to their dominant zero-phonon line and symmetry-protected optical transitions that connect to coherent spin levels. The negatively charged tin-vacancy (SnV) center possesses long electron spin lifetimes due to its large spin-orbit splitting. However, the magnetic dipole transitions required for microwave spin control are suppressed, and strain is necessary to enable these transitions. Recent work has shown spin control of strained emitters using microwave lines that suffer from Ohmic losses, restricting coherence through heating. We utilize a superconducting coplanar waveguide to measure SnV centers subjected to strain, observing substantial improvement. A detailed analysis of the SnV center electron spin Hamiltonian based on the angle-dependent splitting of the ground and excited states is performed. We demonstrate coherent spin manipulation and obtain a Hahn echo coherence time of up to $T_2 = 430\,\mu$s. With dynamical decoupling, we can prolong coherence to $T_2 = 10\,$ms, about six-fold improved compared to earlier works. We also observe a nearby coupling $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ spin which may serve as a quantum memory. This substantiates the potential of SnV centers in diamond and demonstrates the benefit of superconducting microwave structures.