We present a method for the generation of complex pulse sequences by using periodic spectral phase modulation. An analytical expression is derived for the temporal profile of such pulse sequences, which relates the temporal amplitudes and phases of the subpulses to the Fourier components of the periodic phase mask. We consider two families of periodic phase masks, namely, when a single period is an odd or even function, and discuss the differences between the resulting pulse sequences. The ability to generate pulse sequences with more degrees of freedom provides an alternative parametrization for investigating quantum coherent control landscapes. This is illustrated in the context of dark pulses in nonresonant two-photon absorption.
We present a method for the generation of complex pulse sequences by using periodic spectral phase modulation. An analytical expression is derived for the temporal profile of such pulse sequences, which relates the temporal amplitudes and phases of the subpulses to the Fourier components of the periodic phase mask. We consider two families of periodic phase masks, namely, when a single period is an odd or even function, and discuss the differences between the resulting pulse sequences. The ability to generate pulse sequences with more degrees of freedom provides an alternative parametrization for investigating quantum coherent control landscapes. This is illustrated in the context of dark pulses in nonresonant two-photon absorption.
A method for generating short pulses with a high repetition rate is proposed. It is based on periodic modulation of the radiation phase of a CW laser and subsequent filtering through a narrow-band frequency filter. At the output of the filter, a sequence of short pulses is generated with a period equal to half the modulation period. In the case of a resonant filter using atoms, ions or molecules with a narrow absorption line, the appearance of pulses can be explained by constructive interference of the incident radiation with radiation coherently scattered by resonant particles. An alternative explanation of the pulse generation in the general case, when frequency filters operating on other principles are used, is based on the interference of the spectral components remaining after filtering. The method can be applied for time division multiplexing to transmit digital information through a single channel at high speed. The advantage of the proposed method is the use of phase modulation (not strictly periodic), integrated with frequency filtering to generate pulses and encode information simultaneously in one circuit, while in other known methods, information is introduced into a sequence of regularly generated pulses using additional amplitude modulation.
A method for generating short pulses with a high repetition rate is proposed. It is based on periodic modulation of the radiation phase of a CW laser and subsequent filtering through a narrow-band frequency filter. At the output of the filter, a sequence of short pulses is generated with a period equal to half the modulation period. In the case of a resonant filter using atoms, ions or molecules with a narrow absorption line, the appearance of pulses can be explained by constructive interference of the incident radiation with radiation coherently scattered by resonant particles. An alternative explanation of the pulse generation in the general case, when frequency filters operating on other principles are used, is based on the interference of the spectral components remaining after filtering. The method can be applied for time division multiplexing to transmit digital information through a single channel at high speed. The advantage of the proposed method is the use of phase modulation (not strictly periodic), integrated with frequency filtering to generate pulses and encode information simultaneously in one circuit, while in other known methods, information is introduced into a sequence of regularly generated pulses using additional amplitude modulation.
Programmable control of individual pulses in a high-repetition-rate (typically MHz) ultrafast pulse train is a long-standing goal for optical arbitrary waveform synthesis. Here, we report a programmable pulse-by-pulse shaper that enables deterministic spectral-temporal control of ultrafast pulses at a repetition rate of ∼ 20~MHz. By synchronizing an FPGA-driven electro-optic modulation on the stretched waveform in a temporal 4f shaping system, the regime writes pulse-index-dependent spectral phase profiles onto individual pulses. We demonstrate three levels of programmable ability: zero-order phase coding that maps pulse-by-pulse phase sequences into double-slit-like spectral-temporal interference; first-order phase programming that produces arbitrary temporal trajectories with deterministic delay; and fractional-order phase engineering that generates programmable temporal breathing. By launching the shaped pulse train into a nonlinear fiber stage, the programmed temporal breathing is converted into one spectral breathing. We further construct a phase-level-dependent regime map of nonlinear spectral breathing, revealing transitions from weak single-envelope breathing to multi-peak spectral splitting and strongly breathing merged-spectrum dynamics, in agreement with numerical simulations. This pulse-by-pulse spectral-temporal synthesis platform establishes pulse index as a programmable degree of freedom for ultrafast pulse shaping and provides a route toward real-time and pulse resolved optical arbitary waveform synthesis.
Creating and controlling well-defined single-photon states is important for many quantum enhanced technologies. Information can be encoded in any degree of freedom associated with a single-photon field excitation, for example in the polarization or transverse spatial mode structure. The ability to encode multiple qubits in these states is desirable for high data transmission rates and increased information processing capacity. The spectral-temporal domain offers a large Hilbert space for encoding information, well suited to integrated optical architectures owing to the low cross-talk between channels. Indeed, time-frequency encoding is an integral component of existing information technologies infrastructure. Thus, complete, coherent control of the spectral-temporal mode structure of light is essential to advancing optical quantum technologies. Arbitrary control of single-photon states has been demonstrated in the polarization and spatial-momentum degrees of freedom however, is yet to be established in the spectral-temporal domain. Recently it was shown that spectral-temporal pulse shaping is experimentally feasible using nonlinear optical methods. However, such techniques can introduce noise photons, are challenging to implement deterministically and require specially prepared auxiliary pump pulses. Furthermore, they are typically only possible at relatively low repetition rates to avoid damage of nonlinear optical materials. Here, we demonstrate deterministic pulse shaping of single-photon wave packets by introducing a time-varying phase. Applying linear or quadratic phase to the wave packet introduces a spectral shift or spectral broadening, respectively. Achieving significant spectral manipulation requires temporal-phase modulation on the order of π. The phase must also vary on the same time scale as the optical pulses, approximately 1 ps in duration here. This relatively rapid phase variation is achieved using a fast electro-optic phase modulator. The modulator is driven by a time-varying voltage that is synchronized with a pulse train of single-photon wave packets for accurate temporal phase control. In this thesis, we experimentally demonstrate control of the spectral-temporal state of single-photon wave packets using this method. Heralded single-photon wave packets are generated by spontaneous parametric down conversion pumped by a frequency-doubled Titanium-Sapphire laser oscillator with 80 MHz repetition rate. To achieve significant modulation of single-photon pulses a 10 V peak-to-peak radio-frequency signal of 40 GHz drives the phase modulator, which requires approximately 3.6 V to achieve a π phase shift. The signal is synchronized with the oscillator pulse train using custom designed electronics. Details of these electronics are presented, resulting in a robust phase and amplitude controllable 40 GHz voltage source, phase locked to the single-photon pulse train. To demonstrate the utility of this pulse-shaping method we experimentally show spectral shearing of almost 1 nm for single-photon wave packets with 830 nm central wavelength and 1 nm bandwidth. Measurement of the second-order intensity correlation before and after the wave-packet manipulation remains constant within uncertainty of the measurement, showing that the quantum nature of the single-photon source is not deteriorated by the modulator. Preservation of the wave-packet coherence is verified by two-photon interference between spectrally sheared and non-modulated single-photons.
Phase effects in a quantum control experiment on the two-photon transition $4s\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}3s$ of atomic sodium are studied. In our experiment, we combine the generation of phase-locked interferometrically generated pulses with pulse-shaping techniques to study in detail the interplay of optical and quantum-mechanical phases. Subtle differences in the physical realization of the pulse sequences produce large difference in the control objective---the 4s population. The control mechanisms of more complex pulse sequences generated by periodic and discontinuous phase-modulation functions are investigated systematically and analyzed on the basis of quantum-mechanical interference.
We investigate how the quantum control of a two-level system (TLS) coupled to photons can modify and tune the TLS's photon absorption spectrum. Tuning and controlling the emission and the absorption are of great interest, e.g., for the development of efficient interfaces between stationary and flying qubits in modern architectures for quantum computation and quantum communication. We consider periodic pulse control, where the TLS is subjected to a periodic sequence of the near-resonant Rabi driving pulses, each pulse implementing a ${180}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ rotation. For small interpulse delays, the absorption spectrum features a pronounced peak of stimulated emission at the pulse frequency, similar satellite peaks with smaller spectral weights, and the net absorption peaks on the sides. As long as the detuning between the carrier frequency of the driving and the TLS transition frequency remains moderate, this spectral shape shows little change. Therefore, the pulse control allows shifting the absorption peak to a desired position and locks the overall absorption spectrum to the carrier frequency of the driving pulses. A detailed description of the spectrum and its evolution as a function time, the interpulse spacing, and the detuning is presented.