Dr. Tian Li is a UC Foundation Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he joined in 2022. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics in 2017 from the Joint Quantum Institute (NIST & University of Maryland) and subsequently worked at Texas A&M University as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and later as an Associate Research Scientist. His research focuses on experimental quantum information science and engineering. He uses quantum correlations and entanglement generated by atomic vapors and nonlinear crystals for applications in quantum sensing and control. As CTO of the UTC Quantum Center, Dr. Li also leads quantum networking research using Chattanooga’s metro-scale fiber-optic quantum network to advance distributed quantum sensing and information processing. His work, supported by multiple NSF and NIST grants, bridges fundamental science with practical quantum technologies. In 2025, he was honored with the UTAA Outstanding Teacher Award and the UTC Faculty Research Excellence Award.
Presentation Title:Â
Polarization-Controlled Dual-State Distribution of Bell and N00N Entanglement Over a Metro-Scale Commercial Quantum Network
Presentation Abstract:
In this talk, I will present the first demonstration of multi-photon, dual-state entanglement distribution over a metropolitan-scale commercial fiber network, implemented on the EPB-IonQ Bohr-IV quantum network in downtown Chattanooga, TN. Using an all-fiber platform with a continuous-wave type-II SPDC biphoton source, we generated a 4-photon entangled state. By projecting two locally retained photons, we probabilistically heralded the other two into either a Bell state or a N00N state, which were distributed to two separate network nodes. Despite significant channel loss and limited source fidelity, we verified successful entanglement distribution across the deployed network. These results showcase the versatility of polarization-controlled multi-photon entanglement over real-world telecom infrastructure and open the door to future upgrades, including non-degenerate photon sources, White Rabbit PTP synchronization for multi-node entanglement, and active polarization control for enhanced fidelity and long-term stability.Â