We investigate coherence in one- and two-photon optical systems, both theoretically and experimentally. In the first case, we develop the density operator representing a single photon state subjected to a non-dissipative coupling between observed (polarization) and unobserved (frequency) degrees of freedom. We show that an implementation of ``bang-bang'' quantum control protects photon polarization information from certain types of decoherence. In the second case, we investigate the existence of a "decoherence-free" subspace of the Hilbert space of two-photon polarization states under the action of a similar coupling. The density operator representation is developed analytically and solutions are obtained numerically.
NOTE: This manuscript is taken from the author's undergraduate thesis (A.B. Dartmouth College, June 2000, advised by Dr. Walter E. Lawrence), under the supervision of Dr. Paul G. Kwiat.
In quantum mechanics, photonic de Broglie waves have been understood as a unique property of quantum mechanics satisfying the complementarity between particle and wave natures of light, where the photonic de Broglie wavelength is inversely proportional to the number of entangled photons acting on a beam splitter. Very recently, the heart of nonclassical feature of photon bunching on a beam splitter was newly interpreted using pure wave nature of coherence optics [arXiv:1911.07174v2], paving a road to unconditionally secured classical key distribution [arXiv:1807.04233v3]. Here, Mach-Zehnder in…
Using on-demand coherence conversion via optical locking in conventional stimulated (three-pulse) photon echoes, ultralong, ultraefficient photon storage has been observed in a rare-earth Pr3+ doped Y2SiO5, where storage time is several orders of magnitude longer and retrieval efficiency is enhanced by fifty times. Compared with the same method applied to two-pulse photon echoes for a rephasing halt, use of spectral grating in the stimulated photon echoes offers a phase-independent coherence conversion between optical and spin states. Eventually an ultralong spin population decay-dependent pho…
We present new experimental implications of the effects of vacuum induced coherence on the photon -photon correlation in the pi-polarized fluorescence in j = 1/2 to j = 1/2 transition. These effects should be thus observable in measurements of photon statistics in for example Hg and Ba ion traps.
There is generally no obvious evidence in any direct relation between photon blockade and atomic coherence. Here instead of only illustrating the photon statistics, we show an interesting relation between the steady-state photon blockade and the atomic coherence by designing a weakly driven cavity QED system with a two-level atom trapped. It is shown for the first time that the maximal atomic coherence has a perfect correspondence with the optimal photon blockade. The negative effects of the strong dissipations on photon statistics, atomic coherence and their correspondence are also addressed.…
A quantum framework, according quantum theories of electromagnetic (EM)radiation to matter response, leads to a handy scheme addressed to examine both physical and chemical processes. Fundamental quantum effects such asentanglement, coherence, de-coherence and re-coherence yield a fully quantum physical presentation applicable to chemical processes. A photonic basis-set obtains including all possibilities accessible to a system in abstract space; electronuclear (EN) base states put in resonance by photon fields are the ground where quantum states, q-states, would show time evolution. At labora…
We use a parametric down-conversion source pumped by a short coherence-length continuous-wave (CW) diode laser to perform two-photon interferometry in an intermediate regime between the more familiar Franson-type experiments with a long coherence-length pump laser, and the short pulsed pump "time-bin" experiments pioneered by Gisin's group. The use of a time-bin-like Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the CW pumping beam induces coherence between certain two-photon amplitudes, while the CW nature of the experiment prevents the elimination of remaining incoherent ones. The experimental results high…
We experimentally study two-photon coherence in plasmon-assisted transmission with a two-photon Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometer. Two collinear photons of identical or orthogonal polarization are simultaneously incident on one optically thick metal film, perforated with a periodic array of subwavelength holes. The de Broglie wavelength of plasmon-assisted transmitted photons is measured, which shows that two photons are re-eradiated by the plasmons and the quantum coherence of biphoton is preserved in the conversion process of transforming biphoton to plasmons and then back to biphoton.
A recent Brief Report [Phys. Rev. A 79, 035801 (2009)] investigates two figures of merit for heralded photon sources based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion with a continuous pump, namely the time-averaged temporal coherence between the signal and idler beams and the time-averaged conditioned second-order degree of coherence for photons in the heralded arm. However, contrary to what is claimed, no one-arm second-order effect is actually measured.
Photonic quantum technology relies on efficient sources of coherent single photons, the ideal carriers of quantum information. Heralded single photons from parametric down-conversion can approximate on-demand single photons to a desired degree, with high spectral purities achieved through group-velocity matching and tailored crystal nonlinearities. Here we propose crystal nonlinearity engineering techniques with sub-coherence-length domains. We first introduce a combination of two existing methods: a deterministic approach with coherence-length domains and probabilistic domain-width annealing.…
We experimentally demonstrate a bright pulsed source of correlated photon pairs at 1550 nm telecom band by pumping 300 m dispersion shifted fiber with a 4 ps pulse train. We investigate the coherence property of the source by measuring the second order intensity correlation function $g^{(2)}$ of individual signal (idler) photons. A preliminary Hong-Ou-Mandel type two-photon interference experiment with two such sources confirms the high temporal and spatial coherence of the source. The source is suitable for multi-photon quantum interference of independent sources, required in quantum informat…
The entanglement of two dipole-coupled atoms with nondegenerate two-photon transitions interacting with two-mode field in lossless cavity has been investigated. It shows that the entanglement is dependent on the initial atomic states. The possibility of considerable growth of atomic entanglement due atomic coherence and dipole-dipole interaction is shown in the case of great mean values of thermal photons.
Bright, entangled multiphoton sources based on atom photon interactions are an essential requirement in the realization of several quantum information and quantum computation schemes based on photonic quantum systems. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a four photon polarization entangled GHZ state obtained from Doppler broadened atomic ensembles of 87Rb atoms. Owing to collective two photon coherence in the Doppler broadened cascade-type atomic system, our setup enables the generation of robust four photon GHZ states with a fidelity of 0.82 and a measured four photon average coincidence rate…
Photon interference among distant quantum emitters is a promising method to generate large scale quantum networks. Interference is best achieved when photons show long coherence times. For the nitrogen-vacancy defect center in diamond we measure the coherence times of photons via optically induced Rabi oscillations. Experiments reveal a close to Fourier transform (i.e. lifetime) limited width of photons emitted even when averaged over minutes. The projected contrast of two-photon interference (0.8) is high enough to envisage the applications in quantum information processing. We report 12 and …
The coherence of a hyperfine-state superposition of a trapped $^{9}$Be$^+$ ion in the presence of off-resonant light is experimentally studied. It is shown that Rayleigh elastic scattering of photons that does not change state populations also does not affect coherence. Coherence times exceeding the average scattering time of 19 photons are observed. This result implies that, with sufficient control over its parameters, laser light can be used to manipulate hyperfine-state superpositions with very little decoherence.
We report on quantum frequency conversion of near-infrared photons from a wavelength of 854nm to the telecommunication O-band at 1310nm with 8% overall conversion efficiency. Entangled photon pairs at 854nm are generated via type-II spontaneous parametric down conversion. One photon is mixed with a strong pump field in a nonlinear ridge waveguide for its conversion to 1310nm. We demonstrate preservation of first and second order coherence of the photons in the conversion process. Based on this we infer the coherence function of the two-photon state and compare it with the actual measured one. …
The photon density operator function is used to describe the propagation of single-photon pulses through a turbulent atmosphere. The effects of statistical properties of photon source and the effects of a random phase screen on the variance of photon counting are studied. A procedure for reducing the total noise is discussed. The physical mechanisms responsible for this reduction are explained.
Optical low-coherence reflectometry is capable of unambiguously measuring positions of stacked, partially reflective layers in a sample object. It relies on the low coherence of the light source and the absolute distances are obtained from the position reading of a mechanical motor stage. We show how to exploit the simultaneous high and low coherence properties of energy-time entangled photon pairs to directly calibrates the position scale of an OLCR scan with a reference laser wavelength. In experiment, a precision of 1.6\,nm and good linearity is demonstrated.
Doppler-free three-photon coherence effects at a wavelength of 253.7 nm have been observed in thermal mercury vapor. The experimental results are compared to simulations based on a detailed theoretical model reproducing the measured effects. Based on these results, we show by simulations that amplification without inversion in our setup is feasible, paving the way towards lasing without inversion in mercury.
We study the effect of the exciton fine-structure splitting on the polarisation-entanglement of photon pairs produced by the biexciton cascade in a single quantum dot. The entanglement is found to persist despite separations between the intermediate energy levels of up to 4 micro-eV. Measurements demonstrate that entanglement of the photon pair is robust to the dephasing of the intermediate exciton state responsible for the first order coherence time of either single photon. We present a theoretical framework taking into account the effects of spin-scattering, background light and dephasing. W…
We develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of the quantum coherence of light emitted by two independent single-photon sources in an arbitrary environment. The theory provides design rules for the control of the degree of quantum coherence, in terms of classical quantities widely used in nanophotonics. As an important example, we derive generalized conditions to generate superradiant and subradiant states of the emitters, and demonstrate the ability of a structured environment to induce long-range quantum coherence. These results should have broad applications in quantum nanophotonics,…
We investigate the multiphoton states generated by high-gain optical parametric amplification of a single injected photon, polarization encoded as a ''qubit''. The experiment configuration exploits the optimal phase-covariant cloning in the high gain regime. The interference fringe pattern showing the non local transfer of coherence between the injected qubit and the mesoscopic amplified output field involving up to 4000 photons has been investigated. A probabilistic new method to extract full information about the multiparticle output wavefunction has been implemented.
Two-photon intensity correlation of the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect has been intensively studied over the last several decades for one of the most interesting quantum features. According to the particle nature of quantum mechanics, indistinguishable photon characteristics interacting on a beam splitter are the prerequisite of the photon bunching phenomenon. Here, a coherence approach based on the wave nature of a photon is used to interpret HOM effect based on entangled photon pairs. As a result, a complete solution of the HOM effect is derived from the coherence approach for the indistinguish…
We propose the concept of pair-wise coherence to study the relation between the l1 norm of coherence and the quantum interference in Young's multi-photon multi-path experiments, where the input photons may be entangled each other. We find that only the local coherence of each single photon can make quantum interference and the collective coherence between photons has no contribution to quantum interference. The visibility of interference fringe is commonly less than the l1norm of coherence of the corresponding input state, suggesting that the l1 norm of coherence is only the necessary but not …
The coherence time constitutes one of the most critical parameters that determines whether or not interference is observed in an experiment. For photons, it is traditionally determined by the effective spectral bandwidth of the photon. Here we report on multi-photon interference experiments in which the multi-photon coherence time, defined by the width of the interference signal, depends on the number of interfering photons and on the measurement scheme chosen to detect the particles. A theoretical analysis reveals that all multi-photon interference with more than two particles features this d…
The nonlinear photon-photon interaction mediated by a single two-level atom is studied theoretically based on a one-dimensional model of the field-atom interaction. This model allows us to determine the effects of an atomic nonlinearity on the spatiotemporal coherence of a two photon state. Specifically, the complete two photon output wave function can be obtained for any two photon input wave function. It is shown that the quantum interference between the components of the output state associated with different interaction processes causes bunching and anti-bunching in the two photon statisti…
Quantum coherence is one of the most intriguing applications of quantum mechanics, and has led to interesting phenomena and uncommon results. Here we show that in a stark contrast to the usual red-detuned condition to observe bistability in single-mode optomechanics, the optical intensities exhibit bistability for all values of cavity-laser detuning due to intermode coupling induced by the two-photon coherence. Interestingly, an unconventional bistability with "ribbon"-shaped hysteresis can be observed for blue-detuned laser frequencies. We also demonstrate that the two-photon coherence leads …
We investigate the dynamical properties of the two-bosons quantum walk in system with different degrees of coherence, where the effect of the coherence on the two-bosons quantum walk can be naturally introduced. A general analytical expression of the two-bosons correlation function for both pure states and mixed states is given. We propose a possible two-photon quantum-walk scheme with a mixed initial state and find that the two-photon correlation function and the average distance between two photons can be influenced by either the initial photon distribution, or the relative phase, or the deg…
A method of reversible quantum optical data storage is presented using resonant Raman field excited spin coherence, where the spin coherence is stored in an inhomogeneously broadened spin ensemble. Unlike the photon echo method, present technique uses a 2 pi Raman optical rephasing pulse, and multimode (parallel) optical channels can be utilized, where the multimode access gives a great benefit to both all-optical and quantum information processing.
Coherence properties of the down-converted beams generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion are investigated in detail using an iCCD camera. Experimental results are compared with those from a theoretical model developed for pulsed pumping with a Gaussian transverse profile. The results allow to tailor the shape of correlation area of the signal and idler photons using pump-field and crystal parameters. As an example, splitting of a correlation area caused by a two-peak pump-field spectrum is experimentally studied.
Single-photon sources (SPSs) are mainly characterized by the minimum value of their second-order coherence function, viz. their $g^{(2)}$ function. A precise measurement of $g^{(2)}$ may, however, require high time-resolution devices, in whose absence, only time-averaged measurements are accessible. These time-averaged measures, standing alone, do not carry sufficient information for proper characterization of SPSs. Here, we develop a theory, corroborated by an experiment, that allows us to scrutinize the coherence properties of heralded SPSs that rely on continuous-wave parametric down-conver…
Quantum channels in free-space, an essential prerequisite for fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and quantum technologies in open space, have so far been based on direct line-of-sight because the predominant approaches for photon-encoding, including polarization and spatial modes, are not compatible with randomly scattered photons. Here we demonstrate a novel approach to transfer and recover quantum coherence from scattered, non-line-of-sight photons analyzed in a multimode and imaging interferometer for time-bins, combined with photon detection based on a 8x8 single-photon-detector-array.…
Optical cat state plays an essential role in quantum computation and quantum metrology. Here, we experimentally quantify quantum coherence of an optical cat state by means of relative entropy and l_1 norm of coherence in Fock basis based on the prepared optical cat state at rubidium D1 line. By transmitting the optical cat state through a lossy channel, we also demonstrate the robustness of quantum coherence of optical cat state in the presence of loss, which is different from the decoherence properties of fidelity and Wigner function negativity of the optical cat state. Our results confirm th…
The generation of entangled photon pairs by parametric down--conversion from solid state CW lasers with small coherence time is theoretically and experimentally analyzed. We consider a compact and low-cost setup based on a two-crystal scheme with Type-I phase matching. We study the effect of the pump coherence time over the entangled state visibility and over the violation of Bell's inequality, as a function of the crystals length. The full density matrix is reconstructed by quantum tomography. The proposed theoretical model is verified using a purification protocol based on a compensation cry…
We propose a new method of resonant enhancement of optical Kerr nonlinearity using multi-level atomic coherence. The enhancement is accompanied by suppression of the other linear and nonlinear susceptibility terms of the medium. We show that the effect results in a modification of the nonlinear Faraday rotation of light propagating in an Rb87 vapor cell by changing the ellipticity of the light.
We report the demonstration of phase coherence and control for the recently developed "light storage" technique. Specifically, we use a pulsed magnetic field to vary the phase of atomic spin excitations which result from the deceleration and storing of a light pulse in warm Rb vapor. We then convert the spin excitations back into light and detect the resultant phase shift in an optical interferometric measurement. The coherent storage of photon states in matter is essential for the practical realization of many basic concepts in quantum information processing.
This paper reports a novel single mode source of narrow-band entangled photon pairs at telecom wavelengths under continuous wave excitation, based on parametric down conversion. For only 7 mW of pump power it has a created spectral radiance of 0.08 pairs per coherence length and a bandwidth of 10 pm (1.2 GHz). The effectively emitted spectral brightness reaches 3.9*10^5 pairs /(s pm). Furthermore, when combined with low jitter single photon detectors, such sources allow for the implementation of quantum communication protocols without any active synchronization or path length stabilization. A …
We show that a weak projective measurement of photon arrival time can be realized by controllable two photon interferences with photons from short-time reference pulses at a polarization beam splitter. The weak value of the projector on the arrival time defined by the reference pulse can be obtained from the coincidence rates conditioned by a specific output measurement. If the weak measurement is followed by a measurement of frequency, the coincidence counts reveal the complete temporal coherence of the single photon wavefunction. Significantly, the weak values of the input state can also be …
The goal of this short note is to show that the formulas I derived originally in [Phys. Rev. A 65, 022308 (2002)] regarding the errors introduced in quantum logical operations by the quantum nature of the control fields apply even in the situation discussed recently by Ozeri et al. in quant-ph/0502063, where the decoherence-inducing spontaneous Raman scattering is considerably suppressed.
We investigate the dynamical behavior of the atom-photon entanglement in a V-type three-level quantum system using the atomic reduced entropy. It is shown that an atom and photons are entangled at the steady-state; however disentanglement can also be achieved in an especial condition. It is demonstrated that in the presence of quantum interference induced by spontaneous emission, the reduced entropy and the atom-photon entanglement are phase-dependent. Non-stationary solution is also obtained when the quantum interference due to the spontaneous emission is completely included.
Recently, a new interpretation of quantum mechanics has been developed for the wave nature of a photon, where determinacy in quantum correlations becomes an inherent property without the violation of quantum mechanics. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a direct proof of the wave natures of quantum correlation for the so-called coherence de Broglie waves (CBWs) using sub-Poisson distributed coherent photon pairs obtained from an attenuated laser. The observed experimental data coincides with the analytic solutions and the numerical calculations. Thus, the CBWs pave a road toward deterministic…
The monochromatic Dirac and polychromatic Titulaer-Glauber quantized field theories (QFTs) of electromagnetism are derived from a photon-energy wave function in much the same way that one derives QFT for electrons, that is, by quantization of a single-particle wave function. The photon wave function and its equation of motion are established from the Einstein energy-momentum-mass relation, assuming a local energy density. This yields a theory of photon wave mechanics (PWM). The proper Lorentz-invariant single-photon scalar product is found to be non-local in coordinate space, and is shown to c…
We investigate the decay properties of the quantumness including quantum entanglement, quantum discord and quantum coherence for two photonic qubits, which are partially entangled in their orbital angular momenta, through Kolmogorov turbulent atmosphere. It is found that the decay of quantum coherence and quantum discord may be qualitatively different from that of quantum entanglement when the initial state of two photons is not maximally entangled. We also derive two universal decay laws for quantum coherence and quantum discord, respectively, and show that the decay of quantum coherence is m…
The spectroscopic properties of a single, tightly trapped atom are studied, when the electronic levels are coupled by three laser fields in an $N$-shaped configuration of levels, whereby a $Λ$-type level system is weakly coupled to a metastable state. We show that depending on the laser frequencies the response can be tuned from coherent population trapping at two-photon resonance to novel behaviour at three photon resonance, where the metastable state can get almost unit occupation in a wide range of parameters. For certain parameter regimes the system switches spontaneously between dissipati…
We present an algorithm for synchronizing two clocks based on second-order quantum interference between entangled photons generated by parametric down-conversion. The procedure is distinct from the standard Einstein two-way clock synchronization method in that photon correlations are used to define simultaneous events in the frame of reference of a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer. Once the HOM interferometer is balanced, by use of an adjustable optical delay in one arm, arrival times of simultaneously generated photons are recorded by each clock. Classical information on the arrival times …
We show that temporal two-photon interference effects involving the signal and idler photons created by parametric down-conversion can be fully characterized in terms of the variations of two length parameters--called the biphoton path-length difference and the biphoton path-asymmetry- length difference--which we construct using the six different length parameters that a general two-photon interference experiment involves. We perform an experiment in which the effects of the variations of these two parameters can be independently controlled and studied. In our experimental setup, which does no…
We present an experimental demonstration of quantum optical coherence tomography (QOCT). The technique makes use of an entangled twin-photon light source to carry out axial optical sectioning. QOCT is compared to conventional optical co1herence tomography (OCT). The immunity of QOCT to dispersion, as well as a factor of two enhancement in resolution, are experimentally demonstrated.
