Distilling single-photon entanglement from photon loss and decoherence

摘要

Single-photon entanglement (SPE) may be the simplest type of entanglement, but it is of major importance in quantum communication. Here we present a practical protocol for distilling the SPE from both photon loss and decoherence. With the help of some local single photons, the probability of single-photon loss can be decreased and the less-entangled state can also be recovered to the maximally entangled state simultaneously. It only requires some linear optical elements, which makes it feasible in current experiment conditions. This protocol might find applications in current quantum communications based on quantum repeaters.