The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334516 with a size standard of 500 employees.

Brief Description of Requirement:

AFRL requires the purchase of quantity one (1) entangled photon generation and detection system.
Required Capabilities:

EPS Detection Subsystem:

1) Single Photon polarization detector channels: 2
2) Detection Efficiency > 20%
3) After-pulse probability: 4% @ 50MHz gate rate
4) Dark count Probability: 4x10-5 per gate.
5) Gate temporal-location resolution: 80 picoseconds (independent for each gate)
6) Gate temporal window: 250 picoseconds
7) Input clock voltage: 1V
8) Correlation delay range: 0-16,000 clock cycles, up to 320 microseconds between photon arrivals
9) Clock rate: 50 MHz
10) Spectral operating range 1300-1600 nm
11) Standard 19 inch rack mountable container
12) Fiber-coupling capable
13) Data Flow interoperable with PC/Custom Polarization Analyzer

EPS Source Subsystem:

1) Spontaneous four wave mixing source of non-degenerate frequency and polarization entangled photon pairs
2) Pulse rate: 50 Mhz
3) Computer controllable two-photon generation rate
4) Built-in polarized alignment signal allowing facile alignment with EPS Detection subsystems
5) Signal wavelength: variable in 1550 nm band, 200 GHz ITU grid
6) Idler wavelength: variable in 1550 nm band, 200 GHz ITU grid
7) Signal/idler 3 dB bandwidths: 1 nm; transform limited pulses
8) Signal/idler photon temporal coherence length: 5 picoseconds
9) Pair-emission probability: 10-4 to > 5x10-3
10) Two photon interference visibility@ 300K = 90.85%
11) Two photon interference visibility@ 77K = 97.93%
12) Standard 19 inch rack mountable container
13) Custom selectable pump wavelengths
14) Custom Signal/Idler wavelength division multiplexing: tunable GHz pair separation customized for specific transmission through custom Lyot filter stages
15) Custom variable colinear signal/idler output; path matching: < 100 picoseconds
16) Custom filtering of pump beams, isolated/removed from variable signal/idler pairs
17) Control software interoperable with Custom 2-channel polarization analyzer

2-Channel Custom Polarization Analyzer:

1) System control software with EPS Source and Detection Subsystems control software for automated measurements
2) Custom selectable linear polarization analyzer/ no polarizers
3) External freezer; temperature down to -80C

The Government intends to negotiate a sole-source contract for the entangled photon generation and detection system. The identified sole-source provider/producer of these systems is as follows:

NuCrypt, LLC
1840 Oak Avenue Suite 212-S
Evanston, IL 60201-3697

The Government has made a determination that no company other than NuCrypt, LLC has a commercial solution for this requirement or the ability to develop a commercial solution meeting the required capabilities.

This is a notice of proposed contract action and NOT a request for competitive proposals. However, all responsible sources may submit a capability statement or proposal, which shall be considered by the agency. All inquiries should be sent by email to [email protected]. Responses to this notice must be submitted by the date/time listed on the notice. Any response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government in future procurements.
Responses received will be evaluated; however a determination by the Government not to compete the proposed procurement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The Government anticipates an award date on or before 17 April 2015

A Sole Source Justification will be attached to the subsequent Notice of Award in accordance with applicable regulation.