Efficient generation of indistinguishable single photons on-demand at telecom wavelengths

Highly efficient single photon sources are important building blocks for optical quantum information processing. For practical use and long-distance quantum communication, single photons should have fiber-compatible telecom wavelengths. In addition, most quantum communication applications require high degree of indistinguishability of single photons, such that they exhibit interference on a beam splitter. However, deterministic generation of indistinguishable single photons with high brightness remains a challenging problem in particular at telecom wavelengths. We demonstrate a telecom wavelength source of indistinguishable single photons using an InAs/InP quantum dot in a nanophotonic cavity. To obtain the efficient single quantum dot emission, we employ the higher order mode in L3 photonic crystal cavity that shows a nearly Gaussian transverse mode profile and results in out-coupling efficiency exceeding 46 {\%} and unusual bright single quantum dot emission exceeding 1.5 million counts per second at a detector. We also observe Purcell enhanced spontaneous emission rate as large as 4 and high linear polarization ratio of 0.96 for the coupled dots. Using this source, we generate high purity single photons at 1.3 $\mu $m wavelength and demonstrate the indistinguishable nature of the emission using a two-photon interference measurement.